The mission of Laurent Boillot, who takes up his post as president of the Colbert Committee on Tuesday, June 14, is to promote French luxury on the international stage.
The Colbert Committee was created in 1914 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain to promote French luxury throughout the world. It is composed of 90 French luxury houses, 17 cultural institutions and 6 European luxury houses. Among the prestigious members are Cartier, Perrier Jouet, Lanvin and Dalloyau. For his part, Yannick Alléno, the three-starred chef, announced at the end of January 2022 that he would become a permanent member of the committee.
Laurent Boillot, who had joined the Committee’s board of directors in 2009, succeeds Guillaume de Seynes, CEO of Hermès and president of the Colbert Committee since 2016.
An exemplary career
A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce (ESC) in Rouen, Laurent Boillot began his career with the communications consultancy Havas. In 1990, he joined the Unilever group as marketing director. In 2002, he joined the LVMH group as Marketing Director at Guerlain. He climbed the ranks to finally become Chairman and CEO of Guerlain in 2007.
In 2020 and still within the LVMH group, he succeeded Bernard Peillon as president of the cognac manufacturer Hennessy.
The challenges of the future
In the current context, new challenges are facing the world of luxury. Firstly, the shortage of raw materials, and secondly the repeated confinements in China which are slowing down the economy. Indeed, if the French luxury industry is doing well, it is impacted by its events, some groups have suffered the slowdown of the economy in China, representing a large market share and therefore a great loss of earnings.
Other challenges will be represented by deeper changes in consumption, namely a CSR approach and commitments to ecology, expected by consumers. Indeed, since 2020, the committee has taken the decision to create an “inspiration book” with the best initiatives of brands to inspire each other. The fight against counterfeiting is also one of the spearheads of the Colbert Committee, to preserve buyers and protect the know-how and quality of luxury brands’ products.
Consumption habits through e-commerce and new technologies are also to be taken into account in order to continue to capture a loyal international clientele and remain proactive. All these themes will undoubtedly be addressed by the committee, chaired by Laurent Boillot, a luxury expert for 20 years at LVMH, the flagship group that has made France shine in the world through its diversified portfolio of companies.
Read also > LAURENT BOILLOT (HENNESSY) BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE COMITÉ COLBERT
Featured photo : © Christophe Mariot pour Hennessy Jas & Co