Full Name Georges Kern Name Georges Kern | ||
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Born 10 January 1965 (age 59) ( 1965-01-10 ) Dusseldorf, Germany | ||
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Georges Kern studied Political Science in Strasbourg, France, and obtained a degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He acquired experience in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector as a brand manager with Kraft Foods Switzerland before gaining a foothold in the watch industry at TAG Heuer (LVMH group).
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He joined the Richemont Group, the Swiss luxury goods corporation, in 2000. Following the Group’s acquisition of A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger-LeCoultre and International Watch Company, he was active in the integration of these three brands. When Georges Kern joined IWC Schaffhausen early in 2002, at the age of 36, he became the youngest CEO within Richemont.
As of November 2016, Georges Kern was appointed to Head of Watchmaking, Marketing and Digital. In this capacity, Mr Kern oversees the Richemont Group Marketing and Digital strategy as well as its watch Maisons: A. Lange & Söhne, Baume et Mercier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin. Mr Kern has also been nominated to the Board of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA for shareholder approval at the annual general meeting to be held in September 2017.
Alongside his corporate objectives, he is also committed to charitable causes, for example through his position on the Board of Trustees of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which helps young people to overcome their social problems through sport.
Georges Kern is a patron of the Fondation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Fondation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry pour la Jeunesse, which supports disadvantaged young people on their path to adulthood. Georges Kern counts active climate protection among his corporate responsibilities. Upon his initiative, IWC was certified as a carbon neutral company.
As a representative of the watch industry and the CEO of a brand founded by an American, Georges Kern sits on the board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.