====== Lambert, Jérôme ======

{{wst>author|[[Foskett, Stephen|Stephen Foskett]] ([[https://grail-watch.com/|Grail Watch]])}}

**Jérôme Lambert** is CEO of [[Richemont]], having formerly been head of [[Montblanc]] and [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]].

===== Biography =====
Born in [[1969]], Jérôme Lambert is credited as part of a younger generation of watch company executives that has successfully transformed the industry. He joined [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]] in [[1996]] as the company's financial controller and took over as CEO in [[2002]] at just 32 years old.

Jaeger-LeCoultre was reinventing itself after the [[quartz crisis]] and had focused much of its energy on the [[Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso|Reverso]] line and development of in-house [[complication]]s. Under Lambert's direction the company diversified its focus to other lines, with the more-conventional [[Jaeger-LeCoultre Master|Master family]] becoming the point of focus. He invested in [[haute horology]] as well, making Jaeger-LeCoultre an expert resource within the [[Richemont]] family. He also expanded sales and focused the company on [[Boutique]]s, as was an industry trend.

Lambert became chairman of [[A. Lange & Söhne]] in [[2009]] during the world financial crisis, even as he continued as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Richemont Group Chairman [[Johann Rupert]] set up a rivalry between Lambert and [[Georges Kern]], who headed [[IWC]]. Kern was given control of [[Baume & Mercier]] and [[Roger Dubuis]] at that time. Kern would emerge as the leader, taking over Richemont's Specialist Watchmakers division in [[2017]] but fell out of favor and resigned five months later.

Jérôme Lambert was moved to become head of [[Montblanc]] in [[2013]]. He moved quickly to revamp the company's lineup, pulling back from high-end pieces to focus instead on the entry-level luxury market. 56 new models were shown at [[SIHH]] in [[2014]]. He merged the high-end [[Villeret]] operations (formerly [[Minerva]]) with the mass production facilities at [[Le Locle]]. Montblanc took on [[Tissot]] and [[Longines]] of [[Swatch Group]] in the market for accessible yet luxurious Swiss watches. He also brought forward historic pieces and references across the Montblanc range and collaborated with famed designer [[Marc Newson]] (with whom he had also collaborated at [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]]).

Lambert was given control of Richemont's Specialist Watchmakers division following [[Georges Kern]]'s departure to take over [[Breitling]] in July 2017. Lambert became COO of Richemont overall in November [[2017]], giving him control of most of the company apart from the Jewelry division. In September [[2018]], Lambert was named CEO of [[Richemont]], for which he had then worked for most of his career. The position had been held vacant since March [[2017]] when [[Richard Lepeu]] retired. This was a major shift for the company, which had sought to reinforce the autonomy of the "maisons".


{{tag>Biographies Richemont}}