How luxury watch and jewellery houses are supporting gender equality, from the Cartier Women’s Initiative to Boucheron’s female CEO and Richard Mille’s women’s race team

Apr 19 , 2022

Accomplished women in positions of power are leading the luxury industry towards greater equality, from those in front of the camera, like Bulgari ambassador Lisa of K-pop girl band Blackpink, to those in the boardroom. Photo: Bulgari

Since the #MeToo movement began, companies are realising the importance of gender equality – so Cartier worked with Expo 2020 Dubai to unveil a Women’s Pavilion

Boucheron has acquired more female managers, Bulgari supported female scientists researching Covid-19, and Richard Mille assembled an all-women race team

Since the #MeToo watershed broke in 2015, the ripples of change have been felt across our social landscape, with long-overdue efforts to promote gender equality and empower women kick-started in almost every field, and the watch and jewellery industry has made its own collective response. Brands today are actively thinking beyond gender – not merely in terms of product design and user appeal, but also in workforce and talent incubation. Today, it’s not enough to simply have bankable female celebrities front your brand, like Blackpink’s Lisa for Bulgari or Charlize Theron for Dior. The important players now understand that consumers are inclined to veer towards brands that are aligned with their personal values, and principles like inclusiveness and gender diversity often figure among those values.

We recognise a talented and diverse workforce as a key competitive advantage, leading to multifaceted innovation and creativity

Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari

Cartier Women’s Initiative Impact Awards Ceremony 2022. Photo: Cartier

The Cartier Women’s Initiative annual entrepreneurship programme, founded in 2006, aimed to drive change by empowering female entrepreneurs. Sixteen years on, Cartier’s initiative has supported at least 262 women worldwide, in sectors as diverse as pharmaceuticals, e-learning and agriculture. Besides this, the brand’s recent partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai to unveil a Women’s Pavilion marked another step forward. The pavilion “recognises and celebrates the role and achievements of women throughout history, sheds light on the challenges that women still face, and explores innovative solutions that are advancing progress around the world”.

The facade of the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai and Cartier

In early March this year, Cartier Women’s Initiative – as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations – brought together its global community of changemakers in Dubai to recognise their “remarkable achievements and collectively shape the future of the programme, looking back on its evolution and footprint”. It was a big positive, says Cyrille Vigneron, president and CEO of Cartier International. “During all these years, this initiative has brought together a community of passionate social entrepreneurs who have developed successful business models improving lives around them. This community is a constant source of awe and inspiration,” he says.

Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Photo: Johann Sauty

Ensuring equal career opportunities for women, especially opportunities to reach top executive level, is an important parameter of gender equality so it’s inspiring to see a handful of women presiding over acclaimed luxury houses, from Victoire de Castellane, creative director of Dior Joaillerie to Catherine Renier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. By this measure, French jewellery maison Boucheron, owned by luxury conglomerate Kering, is a particularly promising place for women – headed by CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, it has Claire Choisne as its creative director.

The important thing is to remain as free as possible in the design and think beyond gender

Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of Boucheron