Ludovic Pauchard, industrial director at Louis Vuitton, has been promoted to industrial and craftsmanship director of LVMH Group and executive chairman of LVMH Métiers d’Art, effective Sept. 1.
It’s a new role that reports to Stéphane Bianchi, LVMH Group managing director.
Pauchard is charged with “ensuring operational excellence across the entire production value chain, while upholding LVMH’s commitments regarding ethical conduct, vigilance, environmental protection and social responsibility,” according to an internal announcement seen by WWD.
He will be tasked with “mobilizing the industrial directors of LVMH maisons around this shared objective” and orchestrating “key transformation initiatives designed to make manufacturing agility a long-term competitive asset for the group.”
“By vertically integrating our activities, LVMH has made the excellence of manufacturing and craft activities both a strategic imperative and a major competitive advantage,” Bianchi said in the announcement. “This will guarantee the long-term preservation of our expertise, along with the unwavering expectation of the highest quality, and the universal desirability of our products.”
Pauchard joined Vuitton in 2003 and “played a key role in the remarkable growth of Louis Vuitton,” according to Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton. “He has been instrumental in supporting the creative vision of our artistic directors, while consistently driving improvements in product excellence.
“I am confident that in this new role, he will leverage industrial strategy to create a lasting competitive advantage and foster innovation across all our Maisons,” Beccari said.
Meanwhile, as executive chairman of LVMH Métiers d’Art, Pauchard will be responsible for “securing and preserving artisanal supply chains and strategic savoir-faire specific to each sector, thus helping nurture the creativity and excellence of the group’s maisons.”
Pauchard’s appointment came in tandem with other promotions and changes within the group.
Jean-Baptiste Voisin, chief strategy officer at LVMH, relinquished his responsibilities as head of LVMH Métiers d’Art and will now take on leadership of LVMH Media Research and Brand Image teams, previously helmed by Mathilde Delhoume, who is also taking on new responsibilities.
In a separate internal announcement, Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, said Delhoume, chief brand officer of LVMH Group, will transition to new responsibilities, focusing on special projects for corporate management, effective Jan. 1.
Stéphanie Medioni, executive president at LVMH Perfume & Cosmetics, is to subsequently succeed Delhoume, with a transition period commencing Sept. 1, and the official handover scheduled for Jan. 1. Medioni will report to Voisin, whose remit is now centered at a new Brand, Retail and Strategy unit.
Voisin had initiated LVMH Métiers d’Art in 2015 to strengthen the group’s control over its supply chains.
“Mathilde Delhoume has played an essential role in continually elevating the desirability of the group’s maisons,” Arnault said in the announcement. “Thanks to her deep understanding of their DNA, their customers and media, she and her teams have enabled them to fine-tune their positioning, stimulating creativity and innovation to engage more precisely with their clientele base.”
He also stressed his confidence in Voisin and Mediono to “pursue this momentum and even further increase the desirability of our maisons.”