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Rolex names new CEO
Rolex SA announced the appointment of its third CEO since 2008 on Tuesday, tapping current Zenith head Jean-Frédéric Dufour to lead the luxury watch brand.
Rolex SA named its third CEO since 2008 on Tuesday, tapping current Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour to lead the luxury watch brand.
The Geneva-based brand confirmed the move in a short release that provided no additional details, noting that “all other communication will be released in due course.” The exact date when Dufour will take the helm is yet to be determined and will be worked out in cooperation with the brand’s current CEO, Gian Riccardo Marini.
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Rolex named Marini, the former head of Rolex Italia, as it global CEO in 2011. He replaced Bruno Meier, who had held the job since 2008. Prior to Meier, Patrick Heiniger ran Rolex SA for 16 years.
Dufour is the CEO of Zenith SA, one of the watch brands owned by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. LVMH also owns TAG Heuer and Hublot.
Zenith is headquartered in Le Locle, Switzerland and has been around since 1865. Dufour joined the brand in June 2009, coming to Zenith from Chopard, where he had been in charge of product development for Chopard watches and jewelry since 2001. He also has held positions at Swatch Group and luxury watch brand Ulysse Nardin.
Stewart Wicht remains the head of Rolex U.S.A. He was appointed to the post in December 2010 following the death of Allen Brill.
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