NEW MAN AT THE HELM. Four months after Jean-Claude Biver announced he would be acting as interim CEO for Zenith, a new CEO has just been chosen to take over
After the resignation of Aldo Magada as CEO of Zenith watches last year, Jean-Claude Biver, the head of watchmaking at LVMH announced that he would be acting as interim CEO for the watchmaking brand. Remembering his other obligations as chairman of Hublot, and CEO of TAG Heuer, Biver gave himself a six-month deadline to fill the position. Apparently, he successfully found a replacement under four months, choosing to place Julien Tornare as the new CEO for Zenith.
No stranger to the watch industry, Tornare has spent close to two decades surrounded by watches, having worked with Vacheron Constantin for the last 17 years. Starting his career as Vacheron Constantin’s market head for Switzerland, his final post was as the brand’s managing director for Asia-Pacific, where he helped grow the number of boutiques in the region from three to 13.
The task that Tornare has taken on is not an easy one, as Zenith has seen a major decline in turnover and profits since 2014. Scheduled to start his new endeavor next month, Tornare has stated that he’s well aware of the challenges he will face at Zenith and intends to work closely with Jean-Claude Biver, who has also clearly communicated that he will remain deeply involved at Zenith for the foreseeable future.
It will be interesting to see what the new leadership will bring to the Swiss watchmaking company, as well as the upcoming timepieces intended for the near future.
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