Already vice president of the French luxury goods association, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne will replace Laurent Boillot, former CEO of Hennessy cognacs (LVMH). Having worked for the leading luxury goods company, as well as Richemont, and now Boucheron (Kering), the new Chair of the Comité Colbert has extensive knowledge of the luxury industry.
After cognac and LVMH, it is now the turn of jewelry and the Kering group to shine in the chairmanship of the Comité Colbert.
Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Maison Boucheron, a subsidiary of the Kering group, will succeed Laurent Boillot, who was himself at the helm of Hennessy cognacs until last March, within the world’s leading luxury goods company. Since January 2014, Laurent Boillot has also been the founder within LVMH and head of the beauty brand Cha Ling, l’esprit du thé.
98 luxury houses and 17 cultural institutions
While Laurent Boillot became President of the Comité Colbert in June 2022, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne will officially take over this role in June 2026 alongside Bénédicte Épinay, the general delegate of the association under the 1901 law recognized as being of general interest. Created in 1954 on the initiative of Jean-Jacques Guerlain, the committee now brings together 98 French luxury houses operating in 14 sectors—from fashion to gastronomy, including hospitality, architecture, tableware, and lighting—and 17 cultural institutions, as well as six European members.
In 2025, it welcomed two new French companies: Diptyque (perfumes and cosmetics) and Messika (jewelry), as well as a cultural institution, GrandPalaisRmn.
All the members of the Committee work together “to promote the international influence of the French art of living, but also to preserve and pass on French know-how and creativity.”
Elected unanimously
The new President was elected unanimously by all the members of the Comité Colbert, who met in a general assembly on December 5.
Hélène Poulit-Duquesne was already an active member and pillar of the Comité Colbert: she has been a member of the association’s board of directors since 2018 and became Vice-President in May 2022.
A graduate of ESSEC Business School in 1992, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne will bring her international experience in beauty, watchmaking, and jewelry to the Comité Colbert association, having worked for French companies LVMH and Kering, as well as Swiss company Richemont.
After starting her career at LVMH from 1993 to 1996 as a Strategic Business Developer, then at Parfums Christian Dior from 1996 to 1998 as Director of Beauty Products, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne joined Maison Cartier International (a subsidiary of Richemont) in 1998 as head of marketing for watchmaking. In 2010, she became Cartier’s Director of International Marketing, joining its Executive Committee at the same time.
The major challenges facing the Comité Colbert
At the end of 2015, she left Cartier to join the Kering Group, where she was appointed CEO of Maison Boucheron.
Saying she was “proud and happy for the trust” placed in her, Hélène Poulit-Duquesne set herself “a roadmap to continue supporting the major challenges facing the Comité Colbert: to showcase our expertise and support our industries, to collectively promote our values and our Houses internationally, and to place sustainable development, a future challenge for the planet and our professions, at the heart of our strategies.”
She added: “Each Maison of the Comité Colbert, beyond its individual performance and regardless of its market share and size, has a greater role to play: that of defending values that are universal and cement the foundation of our collective: the values of art, culture, and craftsmanship, the hand of man. Because they have meaning, they give meaning. They enrich the lives of millions of people and inspire them to dream.“
For her part, Bénédicte Épinay is delighted ”at the prospect of working with Hélène Poulit-Duquesne to serve, together with our collective, the influence of an industry whose excellence and creativity are one of the major jewels in the crown of the French economy.”
“We are committed to supporting its development, honoring its expertise, and amplifying its international influence,” she announced.
Read also > Diptyque and the Grand Palais join the Comité Colbert
Featured photo: © Boucheron
