Chanel to Reshuffle APAC Operations After Senior Leader Vincent Shaw Retires in June

Denni Hu
·2 min read

Chanel will split up the Asia-Pacific market, excluding Japan, into North Asia and Southeast Asia markets when Vincent Shaw, the French fashion house’s president of APAC for more than 30 years, retires at the end of June.

Shaw’s responsibility will be split between Renaud Bailly and Stephanie Couette, Chanel has confirmed to WWD.

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Bailly, currently managing director for Chanel in China, will serve as the president of North Asia; Couette, currently president of Hong Kong and Macao, will become president of Southeast Asia.

As a part of Chanel’s leadership team, Bailly and Couette will report to Leena Nair, global chief executive officer of Chanel.

Both promotions will take effect May 1.

“Chanel is very confident that these leaders will continue building on Vincent Shaw’s legacy,” the French luxury brand said in a statement.

“This evolution will reinforce the focus on elevating brand, driving innovation, incubating future capabilities, and continuing Chanel’s long-term growth trajectory,” the statement added.

Charlotte Jozan, currently chief of staff to Nair, will succeed Bailly as the head of China, effective Sept. 1.

Claire Laurin, currently regional fashion director for the United Kingdom, Canada and Latin America, is to succeed Couette, effective Oct. 1.

Shaw’s departure marks another generational transition within Chanel’s executive ranks. “The whole generation who made Chanel into what it is over the past 20 years will go into retirement in the next few years,” said Philippe Blondiaux, Chanel chief financial officer, during an industry discussion in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Bailly joined Chanel in 2002 as an internet project manager, serving in Singapore for six years, first as a regional manager for eyewear, then rising through the ranks to become managing director of Singapore in 2011. In 2014, Bailly moved to Shanghai to serve as the general manager of the fragrance and beauty department, before being named managing director of China in 2015.

Couette has spent more than 20 years at the luxury company. She spent more than six years working in various Asia-Pacific marketing and communications roles before becoming the managing director of Singapore at Chanel. For the last seven years, Couette has served as the head of Hong Kong and Macao.

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