LVMH, Arnault makes six senior executive appointments, moves son Alexandre to wines and spirits

Bernard Arnault has made six senior executive appointments in luxury giant LVMH, including moving his son Alexandre to wines and spirits, and announcing a new head of Human Resources.
 

The French billionaire made the announcement in a release early Thursday morning. He also rapidly replaced Chantal Gaemperle – who was officially dismissed as head of Human Resources on Wednesday evening – by Maud Alvarez-Pereyre. Her appointment as Executive Vice President Human Resources will take effect December 1, 2025.

“After consulting with the Sustainability and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors, Bernard Arnault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH, has decided to make the following appointments,” the group said in a terse release.

In effect, Arnault has moved around almost 10 senior executives in a major act of musical chairs at the world’s biggest luxury conglomerate.
 
The release also added that Alvarez-Pereyre will become a member of the Executive Committee of the group.

 
Jean-Jacques Guiony, an existing member of the Executive Committee, will be named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wines and Spirits division, Moët Hennessy, effective February 1, 2025. He replaces Philippe Schaus “who, after 21 years with the Group, has decided to begin a new chapter in his career, Focusing on non-executive roles. He will, in particular, support the new team during the first half of 2025, sharing his expertise in the sector,” LVMH added.
 
In effect, Guinoy becomes the boss of Alexandre, the second of Bernard Arnault’s four sons. Alexandre’s move to become Deputy CEO of the division, takes place on February 1, 2025. Alexandre had previously been a senior executive at German baggage business Rimowa, and at jeweler Tiffany, two other LVMH brands.
 
Charles Delapalme will be appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Hennessy, the group’s famed cognac brand. That will follow a period of transition with Laurent Boillot, whose new responsibilities will be announced at a later date. In a major surprise, Delapalme leaves his current position of Managing Director of Christian Dior Couture.

The shifting of three senior execs to wines & spirits also underlines the huge difficulties LVMH is suffering in this sector. For the first nine months of 2024, revenue in this division plummeted 11% to €4.193 billion. This was the worst performance in the group’s five key divisions.

Cécile Cabanis, a further member of the Executive Committee, will be appointed Chief Financial Officer of the LVMH Group, succeeding Jean-Jacques Guiony as of February 1, 2025.
 
And finally, Guillaume Motte, the president and CEO of Sephora, will become a member of the executive committee of LVMH, effective January 1, 2025.