Audemars Piguet Appoints Ilaria Resta as Head, Marking a Milestone for Swiss Watchmaking

Audemars Piguet Appoints Ilaria Resta as Head, Marking a Milestone for Swiss Watchmaking

Audemars Piguet, the renowned Swiss watchmaking house, has boldly moved by appointing Ilaria Resta as its new head. 

In doing so, they have chosen a woman to lead their management team, a rarity in the watchmaking industry. 

Ilaria Resta

Ilaria Resta
Ilaria Resta

Ilaria Resta, currently a member of the management at DSM-Firmenich, will succeed François-Henry Bennahmias, the charismatic general manager who announced his resignation in June 2022, effective by the end of 2023.

Ilaria Resta, who is of Italo-Swiss descent and resides near Geneva, brings a wealth of experience to the role. 

She previously served as the president of the perfumery division at a major industry house, making her the first and only woman to hold such a position. 

Before her tenure at Firmenich, Resta spent over twenty-two years at Procter & Gamble.

The decision to appoint Resta has been met with enthusiasm by industry experts. 

Jean-Philippe Bertschy, a consumer goods analyst at Vontobel, praises her exceptional charisma and excellent managerial skills. 

Resta is scheduled to join Audemars Piguet in August to facilitate a smooth transition with François-Henry Bennahmias, and she will officially assume her new role on January 1, 2024. 

Alessandro Bogliolo, the board of directors chairman, emphasized Resta’s visionary leadership and passion for craftsmanship, expressing confidence in her ability to lead the brand forward while preserving its traditions and fostering innovation.

The choice to entrust the management of Audemars Piguet to someone without prior experience in the watchmaking sector can be seen as a bold and open-minded decision by the owning families.

It demonstrates their belief in Resta’s skills and willingness to take risks. This move diverges from the conventional path in an industry where networks play a vital role. 

Previous experiences, like that of Nathalie Veysset, who led the House of DeWitt from 2008 to 2012, illustrate the challenges faced by those without established connections within the industry. 

Veysset, coming from a different professional background, found herself navigating an insular and highly regulated world, compounded by the financial crisis during her tenure.

The watchmaking industry still has a significant gender disparity in management positions, with only 17% held by women, despite occupying 43% of overall jobs. 

Moreover, these roles are predominantly in administrative (45%) and technical (43%) areas, as revealed by the latest census conducted by the Employers’ Convention for the Watch Industry (CPIH).

François-Henry Bennahmias, who first joined the Audemars Piguet factory in 1994 and became its director in 2012, had always expressed his intention to serve for ten years before passing the baton, aiming to avoid becoming stagnant. 

Jasmine Audemars, the great-granddaughter of the brand’s founder, recently concluded her thirty-year chairmanship of the board of directors on November 11, handing over leadership to Alessandro Bogliolo.

The appointment of Ilaria Resta as the new head of Audemars Piguet signifies a significant milestone for the brand. 

It represents a broader shift in the industry’s mindset toward embracing diversity and recognizing the potential of talented individuals, irrespective of their gender or industry background.

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