Style Edit: Meet Chaumet’s new head Charles Leung, the first Asian CEO at an LVMH brand

Jul 2 , 2024

Chaumet made tiaras for Empress Josephine and other royals in centuries past, but today new CEO Charles Leung is excited about connecting with younger customers and new markets around the world. Photos: Handout

Based in Paris’ Place Vendôme, the 244-year-old brand made tiaras for Napoleon’s wife and other royals, but is now connecting with Gen Z and emerging markets

When Charles Leung moved from his native Hong Kong to Paris almost two decades ago, to join LVMH-owned jeweller Chaumet, little did he know that one day he would be taking the top job at the illustrious Parisian maison.

Founded in 1780 and based in Place Vendôme, the heart of high jewellery making and a focal point for Parisian luxury, Chaumet has a storied history, supplying tiaras to royals including the likes of Joséphine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s wife.

After a period of relative dormancy in the 20th century, the maison returned to prominence after being acquired by LVMH in 1999. It is now one of the big success stories at the world’s largest luxury group, which in recent years has been ramping up its jewellery portfolio with high profile acquisitions such as Bulgari in 2011 and Tiffany & Co. in 2021.

A bracelet from the Chaumet en Scène high jewellery collection

Leung, who cut his teeth at Cartier in Hong Kong before decamping to Paris, is an LVMH veteran. He joined Chaumet in January this year from Fred, another LVMH-owned French jewellery maison that he led for more than five years and helped transform from a niche brand into a key player in the fine jewellery segment.

Fast talking, gregarious and driven, Leung is clearly in his element at Chaumet. He has always worked in jewellery, a field that he says he could never be bored of, even after all these years.

“Time flies too fast,” he says in an interview in Paris between last week’s haute couture shows. “I love working with jewellery because I studied literature in Hong Kong and I’ve always liked beautiful things with meaning.

“That’s what jewellery is: beautiful things with meaning and a lot of sentiment inside, and all the stories behind each jewellery purchase are very touching. I also like that we spend a lot of time going back to our heritage and our archives, yet we still propose something relevant to the times. [I love] the craftsmanship and the stones and how we create something that hasn’t been seen before. It’s beautiful to work with all these great people. There have been moments in my career where I thought of changing fields but I never get bored by jewellery.”

A diamond ring featuring a ruby from the Chaumet en Scène high jewellery collection

Only a few days before our interview, Leung and his team were in Venice to unveil Chaumet’s latest high jewellery collection: Chaumet en Scène.

Chaumet is a key player in high jewellery. Their pieces are the haute couture of the jewellery world: one-of-a-kind creations made in centuries-old ateliers and available to only a handful of clients who can afford these special objects often akin to art collectibles.