Richemont has named Vacheron Constantin CEO Louis Ferla, to succeed Cyrille Vigneron as CEO of Cartier, effective 1 September. And the company also has a new chief executive for Van Cleef & Arpels.
But first, the Cartier moves. Vigneron will retire after “eight successful years at the helm of the Maison, [and] will assume the position of Chairman of Cartier Culture & Philanthropy”. He’ll also work with Ferla “to ensure a smooth transition”.
Ferla joined Richemont in 2001 starting at Alfred Dunhill as Area Sales Manager in Hong Kong and then as general manager in Taipei. In 2006 he joined Cartier, holding various senior executive positions across the Middle East, India and Africa before being appointed CEO in China. In 2015, he joined Cartier’s executive committee as International Director Clients & Business and has been CEO of Vacheron Constantin since 2017.
Group chairman Johann Rupert said that he’s “earned the admiration and respect of his colleagues across the group and of the industry at large for having so brilliantly positioned Vacheron Constantin at the pinnacle of Haute Horlogerie. His experience and leadership qualities will prove invaluable for Cartier’s long-term success.”
He also said Vigneron’s “vision and bold leadership over the last eight years” has seen Cartier reaching “new heights becoming the reference in the world of luxury”.
And he thanked him for his part in identifying the right person to be his successor.
Meanwhile recently-appointed Richemont CEO Nicolas Bos added: “I have always admired Louis’ strategic vision and inspiring management style, which have served him well in turning Vacheron Constantin into one of the world’s leading luxury watchmakers. I look forward to seeing Cartier continue to thrive under his leadership.”
And as mentioned, in another key move, the luxury group has announced that Catherine Rénier, currently CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, will succeed Bos as CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, also effective 1 September. She’ll report to him following his appointment as the group’s overall CEO.
Rénier has more than 20 years of jewellery and luxury watchmaking experience at Richemont. She joined the group in 1999 as Cartier North America’s Retail Development Director in New York. Then in 2003 she moved to Paris to join Van Cleef & Arpels as Deputy Marketing Manager.
In 2008, she relocated to Hong Kong as the Maison’s Commercial Director, then was made Managing Director for Hong Kong & Macau SAR, China in 2011 and finally was President for Asia Pacific for eight years. She became CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2018.
Bos said her six years at the helm of Jaeger-LeCoultre saw her building “a strong leadership team and a clear and differentiated positioning for the Maison, which has been foundational to its success during her tenure. Catherine brings the perfect mix of experience and leadership skills to the role”.
Jaeger-LeCoultre CFO Philippe Hermann will assume the role of ad interim CEO until a new leader is announced.
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