After two decades at LVMH, Moët Hennessy CEO Philippe Schaus will leave the business next year and be replaced by Jean-Jacques Guiony.
Former DFS Group boss Schaus has been CEO of Moët Hennessy, LVMH’s wine and spirits division, since October 2017, when he took over the position from Christophe Navarre.
Schaus has worked for Paris-headquartered LVMH for 21 years and will depart the company to ‘begin a new chapter, focusing on non-executive roles’.
Joining the LVMH family in 2003, Schaus initially worked at Louis Vuitton and became chairman and CEO of the company’s travel retail business DFS Group in 2012.
Guiony, the firm’s chief financial officer (CFO), will step into the role of CEO and president of Moët Hennessy on 1 February.
French native Guiony joined LVMH in 2003 as deputy finance director before becoming CFO a year later.
The CFO position will be filled by Cécile Cabanis, the group’s current deputy CFO, from February.
The son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, Alexandre Arnault, has been hired as deputy CEO of Moët Hennessy from February. Alexandre will move into wine and spirits after working at LVMH-owned jewellery brand Tiffany.
Furthermore, Charles Delapalme (managing director of LVMH-owned Christian Dior Couture) has moved to the group’s alcohol business as Hennessy Cognac’s new CEO and president, replacing Laurent Boillot who will take on new responsibilities that are to be announced at a later date.
Schaus will continue to support the new team during the first half of 2025.
The shake-up of the wine and spirits team follows the recent promotion of Julie Nollet to the role of managing director for the UK and Ireland at Moët Hennessy.
The new appointments come at a tough time for luxury conglomerate LVMH, which has seen its alcohol sales slide since 2023.
LVMH’s spirits sales declined by 11% in the first nine months of 2024 as demand for Hennessy Cognac remained weak in China. The Champagne and wine division fell by 6%.
The wine and spirits arm of LVMH was the only part of the business to experience a decline in revenue for the 2023 full year.
Hennessy is the world’s biggest Cognac brand, selling 6.5 million nine-litre cases in 2023.
LVMH also owns Belvedere Vodka, Volcan de mi Tierra Tequila and Scotch brands Ardbeg and Glenmorangie.
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Author: Nicola Carruthers
