The Transfer Window Opens

At Audermars Piguet North America -

Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Truth be told, I am of two minds on this latest news from Audemars Piguet.  On the one hand, the newly minted CEO of Audemars Piguet North America seems very qualified and very experienced.  He has lived a truly multicultural, international life and is not (for once) an "idiot son" dispatched to the US to either to groom him for a more senior position upon his return, or to get him out of the room so that the "grown ups" can talk.  Mr. Seward is a guy with real accomplishments behind him, and he is not a stranger to Audemars Piguet with a solid tenure behind him.  All of this is good.

But...

My understanding is that Audemars Piguet's offices in North America are subsidiary offices.  Meaning that, to a large extent, they have been here for awhile and will continue to be here into the foreseeable future.  Meaning that, it might not be the craziest idea to try and identify some local talent that might, one day, be able to pilot the good ship Audemars Piguet North America. 

Now I make no claims to know or understand anything about Audemars Piguet, as every attempt I have made to get a press release on anything OTHER THAN their latest golf or tennis ambassador's exploits has tended to fall on deaf ears.  Who knows, maybe with a new head for North America they might become a little bit more inclusive in their press communications ; )

I want to be really, really clear - I am not an "America Firster", and without delving too deeply into the political situation here in the US, I will say that I strongly disagree with the majority of what the current US President espouses.  Having said that, I am also a strong believer in developing LOCAL talent.  When the room at the top is constantly being re-staffed by people from Swiss HQ (not necessarily Swiss, but never US), it creates a feeling for the locals working here that they will NEVER be considered to run the regional office.  And that is a short-sighted approach to developing your local subsidiary.  What reason would they have to stay on for other than a paycheck? 

But one last thing to consider is this - to some extent,  the general public LIKES the idea of an international brand leader running the North American office of a watch brand.  It lends a certain feeling of exclusivity and cachet value that certainly does speak to a certain audience.  

So, here is the release as it was received from Audemars Piguet -

ANTONIO SEWARD APPOINTED CEO 
AUDEMARS PIGUET, NORTH AMERICA 

Mr. Antonio Seward joins Audemars Piguet, North America as CEO effective August 1st, 2017.

Born in London to Argentinean parents – a diplomat father and an artist mother, Antonio holds a degree in History from Kings College, London and a Masters in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies Paris (Sciences Po). Antonio’s diverse multicultural background was further developed after living in international cities including Buenos Aires, Paris, Miami and Singapore.

He began his career in watches as a Brand Manager for a regional distributor for several luxury watch brands, including Audemars Piguet, in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2008, he joined Audemars Piguet as Managing Director for Latin America and in 2010, moved to Madrid as CEO of Audemars Piguet, Spain and Portugal. From 2011 to 2013, he also oversaw the French market. Most recently, Mr. Seward served as General Manager, Audemars Piguet Southeast Asia.

With his years of leadership experience, Antonio brings vast perspectives in brand development. Together with his team, he will work with key partners in the region to further grow the business.

“Working for a superlative brand while experiencing so many unsurpassable moments has made my past ten years with Audemars Piguet truly unique. My focus for the Americas will be to connect directly with our clients and implement innovative ideas in both our retail experience and distribution. I look forward to the next chapter with Audemars Piguet and sharing our vision of a brand strongly attached to its rich history yet resolutely forward thinking and daring in its spirit.”

A Few Minutes with Vincent Perriard

                    
And now a few minutes with Vincent Perriard - CEO of TechnoMarine

JH - What was your first watch?  Was it a gift, is there a story behind it?

VP - As best I can remember… it was a Tissot. Then there was a Swatch.

In Switzerland, when you are around 15 years old, this is the typical gift you will receive. Before that age, I was wearing watches from my dad!

JH.  Tell me a bit about yourself please - while you have worked in the watch industry for some time, you also have a reputation as a brand builder.  Following Concord you could have done any number of things.  Why TechnoMarine?

VP.  As a brand, TechnoMarine was in very bad shape.  I love taking on challenges that no one else wants to put the time and energy into. 

I believe very strongly in the $300 – $3000 price segment, which has been virtually empty over the last 10 years.  It seems that everybody has been willing to increase their price and their prestige, but this is a very important segment. The $300 – $3000 segment is attractive again due to the tough economy and the shift of mentalities towards luxury.

Bringing the colors, the fun, the  "joie de vivre" into a brand like TechnoMarine will make a big difference. You will be able to judge my predictions in 2011… that is when TechnoMarine will reveal its new collection (the one developed over 18 months with the new team on board).

JH.  Will Technomarine remain only in retail (Brick and Mortar Stores), or is a TechnoMarine official online store in the future?

VP.  We will go online in 2011… without a doubt. We are working (right now) on the structure of this website.

JH.  When you were a boy - what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

VP.  I wanted to be an architect. I never thought about watches! My dream was to become an architect because I loved – at that time – to draw. Finally, I did my studies and started to build a new radio station in Switzerland. Radio was my passion for a few year which led me to “communications and marketing”… My number two passion.

JH.  Where did you go to school - what did you study?

VP.  I went to school in Neuchâtel and in Lausanne (Switzerland). Neuchâtel was for what we call Commercial School.  In Lausanne I took a Marketing degree.

JH.  Who else is making watches that excite you?

VP.  Audemars Piguet : my first  "love" with watches. My first job in the watch industry was with Audemars Piguet.  I am still very connected with friends and members of the board still working at AP. 

Apart from Audemars Pigeut, a lot of independent watch companies, such as Richard Mille, and Greubel Forsey come to mind. 

JH.  What would you be doing if you weren't the CEO of TechnoMarine?

VP.  My own company, of course. It will come one day.

JH.  What do you like to do in your "down-time"?

VP.  Taking care of my 3 little boys (4, 7 and 10 years-old). They are my ultimate passion, my “raison d’être”. Without them, nothing is worth it.

JH.  TechnoMarine seems to be like some of the basketball teams here in the states with the BIG THREE - what brought you and your two colleagues together?

VP.  We love challenges. We love watches. We love people. Every business is a new adventure. Without adventure and challenge, nothing is interesting. Therefore, we love the motto: “we will succeed BIG time or we will lose BIG time, nothing in between”. It puts a lot of pressure on our shoulders and this leads us to be smarter, to be more creative, to be more pro-active, etc… This is exactly what happened at Concord. Everybody was “shocked” to see me leading Concord. They said: “what the hell are you going to do there”… And 18 months later… Concord won the “GRAND PRIX DE GENEVE” with the best design Award for 2008!  I love re-shaping brands. This is my greatest passion.

JH.  So let's talk a bit about Concord.  What was that experience like?

VP.  Working at Concord was a great experience!   It was a dream experience because I was always dreaming about a brand that was almost gone that I could help bring back to life… Concord was the ONE!  Everybody was laughing at Concord before we brought the brand a new energy, a new vision, a new path - a new life . By concentrating everything on one design (one model, the C1) and stretching the C1 with creative and innovative ideas made a big difference - it made THE difference.

JH.  Why did you leave?

VP.  I met with Christian Viros, the former President of LVMH horlogerie (TAG Heuer, Zenith, Dior, Louis Vuitton).  He wanted me to help  in the re-activation of TechnoMarine. After 3 years at Concord, I now had a second chance to re-energize a brand that was slowly disappearing from the market. I was happy at Concord. But discussing our vision of the watch making industry with Christian, I realized that we shared the same view, the same vision. Christian Viros is one of the top entrepreneurs in the world of watches. He re-invented TAG Heuer. He is a visionary of a different order - like only a few people in our industry.

JH.  Any regrets?

VP.  I would have loved to stay another 2 years at Concord but the TechnoMarine challenge was too good to pass up. So, no. No regrets.

JH.  What do you view as your greatest achievement so far?

VP.  The most obvious was the rebirth of Concord. But with my colleagues, back in the late 90’s, I was in charge of the Marketing of Audemars Piguet and with the leadership of Georges-Henry Meylan, we  repositioned Audemars Piguet as one of the most luxurious, prestigious and respected brands ever. This was a great achievement by reinventing every level of the marketing within AP at that time, along with the birth of the best seller Royal Oak Offshore in 1995.

JH.  Very often things don't go right, can you remember an instance where things did not go well?  How did you handle this?

VP.  Many times!  Through my work in the watch industry so far, the projects (as a whole) were successful. But in the details, we face daily challenges!  One of the most important parts of my job is to communicate.  Not only to the outside (like now) but internally; to share the vision; to convince the people; to unify them. This is where sometimes, things are not going right.  You have to understand that it is really challenging sometime to share what you have in mind, what you feel in your guts…it is clear to you - but you have to share that vision, and help others not only to see it, but to share it with you.

JH.  So what advice do you have for the next new wave of watch executives?

VP.  Enjoy the ride! Don’t lead your company with fear. Believe in what you do!

You can check out TechnoMarine at:

www.technomarine.com