Jean-Claude Biver

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean-Claude Biver at the WEF 2013

Jean-Claude Biver (born September 20, 1949 in Luxembourg ) is a Swiss entrepreneur and manager of Luxembourg origin. He is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2004 , and since 2012 President of the Swiss watch company Hublot , which belongs to the French luxury goods group LVMH . Since March 1, 2014, he has also been head of the LVMH watch business, responsible for the watch brands TAG Heuer and Zenith .

Before joining Hublot, he was in charge of the Blancpain and Omega SA watch brands , both of which are now owned by the Swatch Group .

Beginnings and career

Biver was born in Luxembourg. At the age of ten he moved with his family to Switzerland, where he attended school in Saint-Prex . He studied at the Collège de Morges and graduated from the HEC Lausanne with a degree in business administration . In the Vallée de Joux he got to know the art of watchmaking, as well as Jacques Piguet , the manager of the clockwork manufacture Frédéric Piguet SA . Jacques' father introduced Biver to Georges Golay , Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Audemars Piguet (AP). Biver completed a one-year apprenticeship at Audemars Piguet. He then headed sales and marketing in Europe. After a year he left the company and moved to Omega as a product manager . After a year he left Omega to return to the Manufacture d'horlogerie in the Vallée de Joux.

Watch industry

After his return to the Vallée de Joux in 1981, Biver and Jacques Piguet acquired the rights to the Blancpain brand in 1982 , which had been inactive since 1956. As one of the world's oldest watch manufacturers, Blancpain had a rich history, but had gone out of fashion with the advent of quartz watches . Biver and Piguet managed to rebuild the brand, Blancpain then achieved sales of 50 million Swiss francs. In 1992, Biver sold the brand to the SSIH Group (now Swatch Group ) for 60 million francs . The original purchase price was 22,000 francs. Biver joined Nicolas Hayek's management team and remained CEO of Blancpain until 2003.

omega

After the sale of Blancpain, Biver joined the executive board of the Swatch Group and was entrusted with the task of renewing the Swatch Omega brand. Biver mainly exerted influence in the areas of product and marketing, using means such as product placement (especially in James Bond films) and support from celebrities (such as testimonials from Cindy Crawford , Michael Schumacher and Pierce Brosnan ). Biver left Omega in 2003. In its ten years of service, the company's sales had almost tripled.

Hublot

In 2004 he became CEO and member of the board of directors of the small, high-profile company Hublot , which in 1980 brought a new type of watch made of gold and rubber onto the market. Within a year, at Baselworld 2005, a novel watch called the Big Bang was presented, which won numerous awards. From then on, Hublot recorded rapid growth, with sales increasing from CHF 25 million to more than CHF 200 million in 2008 within four years; that year the brand was sold to the luxury goods group LVMH . In November 2009, the new, modern factory in Nyon was inaugurated. The UNICO clockwork is manufactured here on 6000 m² . In order to keep pace with its growth, the company inaugurated its second building in 2015 - only 6 years after opening its factory in 2009 - and thus doubled its production area in Nyon.

In 2006, Jean-Claude Biver launched Hublot TV, the first internet TV channel established by a luxury brand. Hublot TV is produced in its own studio and sends more than 100 programs a year.

Under Biver, Hublot was the first luxury brand to enter into partnerships in football. In 2008, Hublot became Official Timekeeper for Manchester United and the 2008 European Football Championship . In 2010, the watchmaker became the first Official Timekeeper for FIFA and the next two World Cups , immediately after being introduced as the Official Watch of Formula 1 . The brand is also involved in sailing - at the Monaco Yacht Club , the Real Club Nautico de Palma , the Copa del Rey and the America's Cup . The brand is also a sponsor of important golf , polo and skiing competitions .

Omega shop in Hong Kong

Under Jean-Claude Biver's leadership, the network of Hublot partner dealers was expanded very quickly, with 700 sales outlets now selling the products and more than 70 exclusive Hublot boutiques opened. On January 1, 2012, he handed over the management of the company to Ricardo Guadalupe, while Biver took over the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors.

TAG Heuer and Zenith

Since March 1, 2014, he has also been head of the LVMH watch business, responsible for the watch brands TAG Heuer and Zenith .

social commitment

At the 2008 European Football Championship, Biver provided the Hublot advertising space for the anti-racism campaign Unite Against Racism . In 2010, 2 percent of Hublot's sales went to charities and charities (Instituto Ayrton Senna , African Wildlife Foundation, Smiling Children, Manchester United Foundation, United for UNICEF , Turtle Ridge Foundation, Usain Bolt Foundation, ICM Institute, Raissa Gorbatcheva Foundation, Make- A-Wish Foundation , Only Watch).

Awards

  • 2007: In a survey of the magazine Business Montres among watch journalists Biver became the best watches manager and communicator best selected
  • 2008: CEO of the Year at Premier Watches, Jewelery and Pens Awards in Bahrain
  • 2008: Manager of the year , Swiss magazine PME
  • 2009: Elected Man of the Year by the Italian magazine Orologi da Polso, the French magazines Revue des montres and Business Montres as well as the Swiss magazine GMT .
  • 2010: Walpole Award for Excellence
  • 2010: Entrepreneurship Gaia Award
  • 2010: Jury Special Award at the Luxury and Creation Talents Awards
  • 2011: Caesar Award, Bucharest , for his “complete work and his achievements as a visionary businessman and marketing genius”.
  • 2015: Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Others

Jean-Claude Biver produces around five tons of cheese annually on his farm in the Swiss Alps, which he gives free of charge to friends, family and certain restaurants of his choice.

Biver is a second marriage and has five children. In 2011, the native of Luxembourg took on Swiss citizenship . He lives in La Tour-de-Peilz , where he is also entitled to live . In 2016, his fortune was estimated by the Swiss business magazine Bilanz at 175 million francs. His brother Marc Biver is a manager in the sports sector.

Works

literature

Web links

Commons : Jean-Claude Biver  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mr. Ricardo Guadalupe replacing Mr. Jean Claude Biver as new Hublot CEO. January 6, 2012
  2. ↑ "Swiss watches have a golden future". Interview in: Aargauer Zeitung on February 6, 2012
  3. ↑ Jean-Claude Biver is promoted to head of LVMH's watch business. In: Blick.ch from January 20, 2014
  4. ^ "Schawinski" broadcast. Roger Schawinski in conversation with Jean-Claude Biver. Video in: SRF 1 from April 15, 2013 ( online, reference from 0:37 minutes )
  5. ↑ Jean-Claude Biver. In: moneyhouse.ch, accessed on May 1, 2014
  6. ↑ 271st place: Jean-Claude Biver. In: Bilanz , accessed on August 31, 2017.
  7. ↑ Big Biver. In: Bilanz , December 31, 1999
personal data
SURNAME Biver, Jean-Claude
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss entrepreneur and manager
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Luxembourg