On 12^th March 2025, the LVMH Group announced it has appointed Frederic Arnault as the new CEO of Italian luxury brand Loro Piana. He is set to replace Damien Bertrand, who has held this role since 2021. After a transition period working closely with Bertrand, Arnault will officially lead the 102-year-old brand known for its ultra-high-end luxury cashmere sweaters and leather loafers.

This is a strategic shift for Arnault, moving from hard luxury goods to the fashion industry, which is essentially the LVMH Group’s core business. And it appears to be a consistent one. Four months ago, his older brother Alexandre Arnault was also a part of a management reshuffle; he is now the Deputy CEO of the LVMH Group Wines & Spirits division, relinquishing his role with Tiffany & Co. as its Executive Vice President of Product, Communications and Industrial.

As a result of his latest appointment, Arnault’s former role as CEO of LVMH Watches will now be handled by Stephane Bianchi, Chairman of the Executive Committee. Brands under his watch include Hublot, Zenith and TAG Heuer. The latter was of course the brand that Arnault most of his time on, starting from his earliest years upon joining the business.

For Arnault, it’s technology first

In many ways it was a completely natural choice for Arnault to begin his LVMH career at a brand like TAG Heuer. His educational background strongly favors such a high-tech and avant-garde environment as TAG Heuer. Arnault had studied computational and applied mathematics at the École Polytechnique, a prestigious university known for its science and technology programs.

Before his start at LVMH, Arnault also interned at McKinsey & Company as well as Facebook. Both of these helped shape the way he approaches the luxury business, which was most palpable in his approach on the relaunch of TAG Heuer’s Connected Watch series. As the Chief Strategy and Digital Officer of TAG Heuer, he was deeply involved in the launch of the third-generation TAG Heuer Connected Watch.

That was in March 2020, and instead of the usual straightforward product conference with men sitting behind conference desks, Arnault went with a completely different format. His global presentation resembled something that Steve Jobs might have organized for a new iPhone launch. Eschewing stuff suits and ties for a stylish turtleneck (likely it was Loro Piana) the mood was decidedly youthful and exciting. And it took place in Paris rather than Geneva, a subtle nod to the brand’s emphasis on style and modern design.

Even though the Connected Watch collection has moved away from the limelight in recent years, there is no denying the dynamism and vibrant energy injected into the division by Arnault. More importantly, wherever he goes, he brings those strategic insights with him.

An horological evolution at TAG Heuer

In 2020 he was promoted to the role of CEO of TAG Heuer. Very quickly, the brand’s portfolio of timepieces began to move towards a swift evolutionary path. That was a moment when TAG Heuer once again pivoted back to strong technical innovation. The company had also hired Carole Forestier-Kasapi as its Director of Movements, who brought immense technical savoir-faire to the manufacture at La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Within a year, TAG Heuer released some of the most exciting contemporary watches in the 21^st century. There was the new Aquaracer Professional 300, the rejuvenated Formula 1 collection and a lively new Carrera Three Hands collection. Arnault also oversaw a renewed partnership with Porsche which yielded some truly fascinating timepieces like the Carrera Chronosprint × Porsche.

In this 2022 interview with Revolution founder Wei Koh about the one-off Only Watch Carbon Monaco, Arnault spoke about the TAG Heuer pioneering spirit in technical development. He says, “For me, the key thing is how do you take innovation, I mean, really cutting edge technology and make it really reliable? For example, the carbon nanotube spiral we were discussing earlier, we cannot create big volumes today. But we are investing in the capacity to be the leader in this technology and it is going to come. And when it comes, it is going to work perfectly.”

Undoubtedly, technical innovation has occupied the minds of Arnault and everyone at TAG Heuer throughout his tenure at the brand. Within this period, TAG Heuer has also gone down a specific path not many luxury watch companies have — or indeed, can — pursue. That of lab-grown diamonds. Its Plasma d’Avant-Garde range has demonstrated some of the most exciting uses of lab-grown gemstones in the watch industry.

Needless to say Arnault also paid attention to the Monaco range, introducing both small aesthetic updates as well as major novelties within the collection. The Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph released last year, for instance, was a major milestone for TAG Heuer. It was the first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch ever made by the manufacture. This watch raised the stakes for TAG Heuer, placing it well within the realm of haute horlogerie.

Arnault to lead luxury that lasts

As it were, last year had been an eventful one for Arnault. He joined the LVMH board and was appointed CEO of LVMH Watches, overseeing TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith. Thereafter, he spearheaded the division’s acquisition of Swiss high end clock specialist L’Épée 1839, and played a significant role in securing LVMH’s official partnership with Formula One.

TAG Heuer clocks were seen all over the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit, and it is definitely no secret that the Formula 1 collection will be taking much of the spotlight in 2025. This sporty timepiece was all the rage during the 80s before Arnault was even born, but his core understanding of product iconography defies the generational divide thanks to a sharp business acumen which will no doubt follow him to the hallowed halls of Loro Piana.