ARNAUD BRACHET - BIO -

I was born and raised in the region, . I studied at ESSEC School in Paris and obtained my Master of Business in June 1992. I took advantage of my studies to discover and learn about . I won the first prize of “Scholarships for Asia”, a sponsored by LVMH and chaired by Professor Henri-Claude de Bettignies, founder of INSEAD’s Euro-Asia Center, for a study entitled “Will survive the next earthquake?”. I spent 2 months at a Hitachi computer factory near Yokohama, Japan to study Japanese management practices in July- September 1990. The following year, I spent 3 months at LVMH Japan in Tokyo to conduct a survey about luxury fashion , and then 3 months at Far East in Hong Kong to identify duty-free business opportunities from tourism in Greater China. From these experiences I developed a real interest in Asia and in luxury goods.

In October 1992 I joined Jardine & Spirits, a joint-venture between LVMH, and Jardine Matheson, distributing the wines and spirits of the LVMH and Diageo groups: Hennessy cognac, Moet & Chandon and Dom Perignon , gin, and also Bacardi rum, a collection of fine wines, etc. It was the largest Moet Hennessy subsidiary: over 300 employees, $1Bn sales. I started as Assistant Manager Moet Hennessy, then was promoted to Brand Manager Collection Division (collection of Hugh Johnson fine -related items sold through exclusive counters in departments stores such as Mitsukoshi, Isetan, etc.) and finally to Brand Manager Moet Hennessy in charge of new product launches and brand education. After 3 great years in Japan (1992-1995), I felt that it was important for me to come back to France to acquire some “headquarter” global experience.

I was appointed “Area Manager Asia-Pacific” at Moet & Chandon in Epernay, France, in October 1995. I worked closely with Asia-Pacific distributors (subsidiaries and agents) to build and implement marketing & sales plans, represent Moet & Chandon across Asia (functions, trainings, sales activities, etc.) and welcome Asian VIPs visiting Epernay. All our sales/image targets on Moet & Chandon and Dom Perignon were achieved, and just a year after I arrived in Epernay, I was offered a very exciting position back in Asia.

I was appointed “Dty General Manager” of Moet Hennessy Korea in Seoul in October 1996. Right after MH Korea was established, my mission was to recruit/manage new Marketing and Operations (Finance, Logistics, Sales Administration) Departments, write/implement Marketing plans for each brand and set up/improve internal processes. Despite a fairly difficult context (the Korean economy collapsed in 1998), the company grew to roughly $12M with 30 employees (all Korean except myself) by 2000, the market share of Hennessy reached 57% and about 10 brands were successfully launched/developed. MH Korea was one of the fastest-growing Moet Hennessy subsidiaries. My performance was recognized by LVMH, and I received several awards. Korea was a big step forward for me, both professionally and also personally (I got married in Seoul in 1998…), and after 4 years, I decided to come back to France for a global Marketing role.

I was offered to join Veuve Clicquot in , France as “International Marketing Director”. Veuve Clicquot’s challenge was very exciting: Quickly revitalize a brand that was starting to age, in order to boost a business that was declining following the pre-millennium peak of the year 1999. Together with my team, I clarified the brand DNA, and initiated/developed/launched many innovative projects: “Paint Box” in 2002, La Grande Dame relaunch in 2003, “Ice Jacket”, Rose NV and Pucci partnership in 2004, “Traveller” bag, Tw’Ice Bucket and new Vintage packaging in 2005, new advertising campaigns, innovative merchandising (Golden Award Popai 2003), new website, etc. I also expanded the Marketing capacity of the company by building a very creative Marketing Dpt (10 people, incl. design team) and developing partnerships with leading designers/artists (Karim Rashid, Pablo Reinoso, Christophe Pillet, Kuntzel + Deygas, etc.). This strategy paid off, as the company reached record sales every year from 2003 (reaching 370M Euros in 2005, from 250M Euros in 2001), and became the #1 champagne brand in most countries. I enjoyed very much my time with Veuve Clicquot. My role was to be both a creator (I initiated many ideas, and was the art director of the brand) and a conductor (animating Marketing teams in our subsidiaries/agents all over the world). It also gave me another great experience of general management since I was part of the company’s board of directors and was working very closely with my counterparts of other departments. After 5 successful years as International Marketing Director of a “star brand” of Moet Hennessy, I was offered another very exciting “start-up”-type opportunity by Christophe Navarre and the top-management of Moet Hennessy.

I was appointed “Vice-President, Belvedere” in 2006. Due to production constraint, LVMH’s development in cognac and champagne was limited, and the group had just purchased leading luxury Polish vodka Belvedere. This “rising star” brand was sold mainly in the USA and was requiring some serious Marketing boost (full repositioning / innovative projects / significant investments) to become “hot” again and achieve the ambitious pay-back targets initially set. The first step was to completely revamp the company: Move from Minneapolis to London, 100% new staff, totally new business plan. Then, I redefined brand DNA and positioning, and launched innovative projects including: TV/print ad campaign (shot by Terry Richardson, featuring Vincent Gallo, music by RZA), partnerships with Jamie Foxx and RZA (concerts in the US), partnership with Jade Jagger (creation and launch of the “Jagger Dagger” ice-pick), “Ice Tower” gift box (international patent), whole range of POS/merchandising items, etc. The main challenge then was to successfully launch/implement all these projects around the world, and especially in the USA (80% of the business). I therefore relocated to New York in March 2008 and managed the Belvedere business in the USA ($100M sales). In a difficult market environment (2008 crisis), the strategy worked: Belvedere gained market share, the repositioning was very well received and the visibility of the brand in the media jumped (#1 position in 2008, ahead of Absolut and Grey Goose). I enjoyed this position very much, but thanks to my relocation in New York, I discovered the immense potential of the US market, and after 17 years at LVMH, I decided to start my own company.

I created ABCK Corp in New York in 2010. We partner with select brand owners, primarily in the field of luxury wines and spirits, offering them tailor-made Strategic, Creative, Marketing, Communication, Commercial, Importation and Brand-building services. Beginning in 2010, we have created, launched and built several brands for leading Japanese beverage group Suntory. We have also developed projects with The Diamond Producers Association, Remy Cointreau, St Germain , Partida Tequila, and we currently manage the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (world’s #1 whisky club), Lejay Liqueur (world’s #1 creme de cassis), Chapel Down (#1 winery in England), Hakkaisan (most innovative Japanese sake brewery) and Camus (#1 independent cognac house) in the US. Based in New York, , Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas and Paris, our team of a dozen employees combines a comprehensive set of skills, from years of experience building leading brands such as Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon, Belvedere, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Partida, Grand Marnier and St Germain. We explore future lifestyle trends with our network of bartenders, sommeliers, and influencers, and through consumer focus groups. Then, we integrate analytical, intuitive and creative methodologies tailored to each project, thus developing products, activating brands and building loyalty in the most compelling and cost- effective manner, in partnership with leading US distributors.

The past 10 years have been extremely exciting, both professionally and personally, and I always welcome new projects that present further opportunities for growth. My areas of expertise include brand-building, marketing, communication, social media, business management, CRM, sales and e-commerce, especially in the fields of wines & spirits and luxury goods.