A major leadership shake-up at Bulgari — and it could reshape the future of one of the world’s most storied jewelry houses. But here's where it gets controversial: some will see this as a natural evolution, while others may view it as LVMH tightening control. Read on — and tell us which side you’re on.
Laura Burdese will assume the role of Bulgari’s chief executive officer on July 1, taking over day-to-day leadership from Jean-Christophe Babin. Burdese had been named deputy CEO last July and now steps fully into the top executive position. Babin, meanwhile, will stay very much in the company’s orbit: he will remain chairman of Bulgari’s board, serve as CEO of the Bulgari Hotel business unit, and keep his title as president of the Bulgari Foundation. In those capacities he will report to Stéphane Bianchi, who is both LVMH group managing director and CEO of LVMH Watches & Jewelry. For context, Bulgari has been part of the LVMH family since 2011.
Stéphane Bianchi praised the handover as a carefully managed transition between two strong leaders. He highlighted that Babin and Burdese have worked together for three years to lift Bulgari’s positioning as an ‘‘iconic Roman jewelry maison.’’ Bianchi described Burdese’s appointment as recognition of the ‘‘significant contributions and achievements’’ she has already brought to the brand, and noted that Babin ‘‘shaped the success’’ of both TAG Heuer and Bulgari while forging distinctive approaches within their industries. Bianchi added that he expects Babin to continue bringing energy and vision to LVMH and its maisons in his new set of responsibilities.
Burdese will report to Bianchi in her new role. Her journey with LVMH began in October 2016 when she joined as president and CEO of Acqua di Parma. She moved to Bulgari in 2022 as vice president of marketing and communications, and was promoted to deputy CEO the following year.
Her background is rooted in beauty and brand management: early-career roles included positions at Beiersdorf and L’Oréal. In 1999 she moved to the Swatch Group as marketing director for Italy. Two years later she became brand director for Calvin Klein Watch & Jewelry; five years after that she was named country manager for Swatch Group’s Italian operations. In 2012, while maintaining those responsibilities, she also became president and CEO of Calvin Klein Watch & Jewelry Co. Ltd. This path blends expertise in both the beauty and watch/jewelry sectors, a useful mix for leading a multifaceted luxury house.
Jean-Christophe Babin has been Bulgari’s CEO since 2013, succeeding Michael Burke. He arrived at Bulgari with deep experience in watchmaking — he had served as CEO of TAG Heuer after joining that company in 2000 — and was instrumental in accelerating Bulgari’s watchmaking ambitions. Under his leadership, Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC won the inaugural WWD Honor for Watch Brand of the Year in 2024; the watch was hailed as the thinnest mechanical watch in the world when it debuted at Watches and Wonders in Geneva.
Babin’s roots are in business and marketing: he graduated from HEC Business School in Paris, began his career at Procter & Gamble in France in 1983 working across commercial and marketing roles, and later held positions with Benckiser and Henkel in Italy. In March, while retaining responsibilities at Bulgari, Babin was appointed CEO of LVMH Watches — a role that places him over brands such as Hublot, Zenith and TAG Heuer. He stepped into that larger position after Frédéric Arnault moved to lead Loro Piana. One of Babin’s notable initiatives was the creation of Geneva Watch Days during the pandemic; the event expanded to include 66 exhibiting brands in 2025.
Burdese partnered with Babin on the development of Bulgari’s new Valenza production site, inaugurated in April. The company has described the Valenza facility as the world’s largest single-brand jewelry manufacturing site. Bulgari has also claimed that it is the only jeweler that manufactures its pieces entirely in its country of origin — a bold assertion that prompts debate about what ‘‘country of origin’’ manufacturing really means in the modern global supply chain. The Valenza campus includes the new Scuola Bulgari, the first publicly accessible training school the brand has opened focused on jewelry craft, alongside the existing Bulgari Jewelry Academy that launched in 2017.
Bulgari has been amplifying the profile of its high jewelry through immersive events and runway shows: Venice and Rome staged presentations during 2024 as part of the jeweler’s 140th anniversary program, and a show in Taormina, Sicily, in May drew high-profile figures such as Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anne Hathaway (a long-time Bulgari ambassador), Zendaya and Blackpink’s Lisa.
Under Babin’s leadership, Bulgari has also grown its hospitality footprint to nine luxury hotels, including properties in Rome, Paris and Tokyo, with additional openings planned for Miami and Los Angeles.
And this is the part most people miss: leadership shuffles like this can be far more than ceremonial. A new CEO can affect product focus, marketing tone, manufacturing decisions and how a heritage brand balances tradition with innovation. Will Burdese double down on Bulgari’s made-in-Italy narrative, or pivot toward more globalized sourcing and new-category experiments? Does Babin’s shift to a broader LVMH watches role mean Bulgari’s watchmaking will gain even greater prominence across the group — or will priorities change under a new CEO?
Bold point to consider: by keeping Babin within Bulgari as chairman while elevating Burdese to CEO, LVMH is blending continuity with new direction — but some might call that corporate consolidation under the guise of succession planning. Do you see this as smart stewardship or consolidation of power?
What do you think? Are you excited about Burdese’s appointment and the fresh chapter she represents, or do you worry that such moves centralize control at the expense of brand individuality? Share your take in the comments — I’d love to hear whether you agree with this transition or find it troubling, and why.
