Case Study

Search Details

Job Title: US Brand President
Seniority: Executive level
Search Type: Retained search
Job Location: New York, NY, USA
Link to job description
Blancpain-Logo Luxury Watches Webp

Our Client

Company: Blancpain
Ownership: Swatch Group
Company Industry: Watches & Jewelry (Luxury Watches)
Company Type: Public Company
Client contacts: Group Americas VP of HR, Brand Global VP of HR

Company Description

Our client for this search for a US Brand President, SVP was a large international group that manufactures luxury watches. With offices around the world, including one in NYC dedicated to the North American market, the search was specifically for one of their highest-end luxury watch brands.

Search Overview

The context for this US Brand President role is that it had been cancelled during COVID, and the group seized this opportunity to restructure their luxury watch division. It was decided that the new Brand President for that brand would also serve as the head of the division, supervising the other three US Brand Presidents. Previously, the search was conducted internally but did not succeed.

ACCUR Recruiting Services was retained to reopen the search with a new scope of responsibility, and a long list of candidates in the luxury watch industry who had already been considered and rejected. Our mandate was to delve deeper into the watch industry and to identify an executive with significant brand-building experience and the capability to launch a new shared service center in Miami for the division.

Search Challenges

There were multiple challenges in this search. First, the previously conducted search had been very thorough, leaving few top talents in the luxury watch industry to consider. Additionally, the group wanted to move beyond traditional wholesale-driven executives and sought an omnichannel brand builder capable of developing a robust “white glove” direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. Finally, while the search was open to executives from other luxury categories, such as luxury cars and hospitality, a personal passion for luxury watches was a prerequisite.

Our Executive Search Strategy

  • Proven P&L management experience
  • Prior experience in luxury watches or a strong demonstrated passion for the category
  • Extensive experience in a luxury goods category (fine jewelry, luxury cars, high-end wines & spirits)
  • Experience in building and developing brands
  • Omnichannel experience, including direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Our Executive Search Process

  • Kick-off call with the Brand VP of HR from Switzerland and the Americas VP of HR for the group based in Miami.
  • Definition of the goals and targets, as well as the recruitment strategy to be implemented.
  • Mapping of all VP and SVP candidates from the Watch Industry, Luxury Cars (Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Pagani, Bugatti), and luxury fashion.
  • Weekly progress reports to discuss candidate leads and candidates interviewed.

Final Outcome

  • A long list of 200 relevant executives
  • 48 candidates interviewed by ACCUR’s Senior Recruitment Consultant
  • 20 candidates interviewed by ACCUR’s Managing Partner
  • 11 candidates interviewed by the client -> Final result: The hired candidate is a former Lamborghini executive and luxury watch enthusiast who had actually overseen the partnership between Lamborghini and Blancpain.

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