In High Spirits

Moët Hennessy's Jean-Marc Lacave on growing new legacies, the meaning of luxury today, and the importance of sustainability for the future of LVMH as well as the planet

- Rachel Duffell

Jean‑Marc Lacave is a three‑decade veteran of LVMH, with expertise in both watches and jewellery as well as champagne. Of the Frenchman’s 30 years with the luxury group, almost 10 have been spent in Asia, including in Shanghai as president and CEO of LVMH Watch & Jewelry Asia, and in Hong Kong as president and CEO of Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific. Today, he is executive vice‑president of global distribution at Moët Hennessy, a role in which he has an overview of much of the group’s business, particularly wine and spirits, and its current position in the world.

And right now, LVMH’s position looks pretty good. Last December, the group’s chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault was named the world’s richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, toppling Elon Musk from the number one position. The same month, the group received a triple A rating from the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for its commitment to sustainability.

There is still plenty more to come. “We’re very much in expansion mode,” says Lacave, who was in Singapore for this interview last December. Part of this expansion involves developing new brands and maisons, each designed to have the same longevity as the group’s legacy brands, some of which have histories of several hundred years.