Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels Are Both Getting New CEOs

Times are changing at two of the world’s most notable watch and jewelry brands.

Louis Ferla is set to become the CEO of Cartier starting September 1, the label’s parent company Richemont announced on Tuesday. Ferla, who is currently the CEO of Vacheron Constantin, will be taking the reins from Cyrille Vigneron, who’s retiring after leading Cartier for the past eight years.

“I am delighted that Louis has accepted to take on the top role at Cartier,” Johann Rupert, Richemont’s chairman of the board, said in a statement. “He has 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.”

Ferla returns to Cartier after working for the brand from 2006 until 2017, when he became the head of Vacheron Constantin. Prior to that, he was a senior executive for Cartier across the Middle East, India, and Africa before he was promoted as the CEO in China and then the international director of clients and business.

On the same day, Richemont named a new CEO for Van Cleef & Arpels: Catherine Rénier will take over that role also on September 1, coming from Jaeger-LeCoultre. Rénier is being elevated to the position after Nicolas Bos, the former CEO, became the head of the whole Richemont conglomerate.

“I am delighted that Catherine will be taking on the role of CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, after 6 years at the helm of Jaeger-LeCoultre where she built a strong leadership team and a clear and differentiated positioning for the Maison, which has been foundational to its success during her tenure,” Bos said in a statement. “Catherine brings the perfect mix of experience and leadership skills to the role, which, coupled with her deep knowledge of the Maison, will enable her to ensure Van Cleef & Arpels long-term success.”

Rénier had a prior stint at Van Cleef, where she worked from 2003 to 2018. She joined the label in Paris as a deputy marketing manager and rose through the ranks to eventually become the president for the Asia-Pacific region.

The leadership changes are just the latest in a litany of shake-ups happening in the watch and jewelry world: TAG Heuer got a new CEO in January, the same month that Frédéric Arnault became the new head of LVMH’s watch division. And just last month, Sotheby’s promoted Geoff Hess to global head of watches for the auction house.

We’ll just have to wait and see what other corporate changes are coming this year.