Style Edition: Meet Charles Leung, Chaumet’s New CEO and First Asian CEO of an LVMH Brand

Leung, who cut his teeth at Cartier in Hong Kong before moving to Paris, is an LVMH veteran. He joined Chaumet in January this year from Fred, another LVMH-owned French jewelry house that he led for more than five years and helped transform from a niche brand into a key player in the fine jewelry segment.

Fast-talking, outgoing and driven, Leung is clearly in his element at Chaumet. He has always worked in jewelry, a field he says he never tires of, even after all these years.

“Time goes by too quickly,” he confided in an interview in Paris, between two haute couture shows last week. “I like working with jewelry because I studied literature in Hong Kong and I’ve always liked beautiful things that have meaning.”

“That’s what jewelry is: beautiful things that have meaning and a lot of feeling inside, and all the stories behind each jewelry purchase are very touching. I also love that we spend a lot of time going back to our heritage and our archives, while also offering something that is relevant to our times. (I love) the craftsmanship and the stones and how we create something that has never been seen before. It’s wonderful to work with all these amazing people. There have been times in my career where I thought about changing fields, but I never get tired of jewelry.”

Just days before our interview, Leung and his team were in Venice to unveil Chaumet’s latest high jewelry collection: Chaumet en Scène.

“High jewelry is the ultimate expression of a brand’s artistic vision, storytelling and craftsmanship,” Leung says. “The more we explain and share, the more interest grows. In the past, we didn’t talk about it because it was very secretive and even taboo – because it’s very expensive and there are very few pieces – but the new generation wants to know more about high jewelry, how it’s made and where the stones come from.”

He’s right. For a long time, fine jewelry was considered the preserve of matrons, if not obsolete: “important” investment pieces adorned with large diamonds and precious stones were relegated to a disappearing category of well-heeled customers.

“The fact that our flagship is located on Place Vendôme is a good thing, because people come here from the Tuileries Garden or the Opera,” Leung explains. “Even though we have 240 years of history and an impressive façade, we are very accessible and it is important for us to show customers that our doors are open and that we welcome them.”

“You’d be surprised how many customers who don’t know us come in and discover us and then buy €100,000 ($107,000) worth of jewelry on their first visit – especially Americans, Chinese and Arabs – because when you’re in Paris, you’re quite tempted and you want to treat yourself with food and luxury because that’s part of the fun, even if you don’t know a brand. If you see a boutique on Place Vendôme, you know it’s going to be good and you trust the story and the location.”

It is true that while Chaumet is a household name in countries like Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China, where it has had a strong presence for decades, it remains somewhat more niche in major luxury markets like the United States and Europe.

“In Asia, we focus on Japan, (South) Korea, Greater China, but Southeast Asia is different. We are only starting in October in Thailand, so there are things we haven’t done in Asia yet. We also opened in Vietnam at the end of last year,” Leung says, adding that the brand recently opened its first store in Italy and plans to open more stores in Italy and Spain.

“We have American clients who know Chaumet and who are high jewelry clients because they saw our pieces at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington,” he adds. “These are the crème de la crème people who come to Paris and want something they can’t find in the United States. We also dress celebrities at events like the Cannes Film Festival and work with American celebrities like Kelly Rutherford, who has a big following. We have a roadmap to go to the United States, but we are waiting for the right time and a very good location in Manhattan.”

Leung clearly has a lot of work to do right now, but he seems more than ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. At the same time, he’s also aware of what’s come before and he’s not about to rock the boat just for the sake of it.

“I have a certain conviction about how I want this luxury brand to evolve, but at the same time, I am very aware of its history and its heritage and I am not here to change that – they are already there and beautiful,” he says. “I want to make sure that everything I do is relevant to the world today and leaves a beautiful legacy for years to come. I have to see what is happening in the market and how tastes are evolving. For example, after the pandemic, we have seen that what is important to people has changed: personal relationships and attachments, and appreciation of nature.”

This new focus on heritage and lasting value has been a boon for the luxury industry, which bodes well for houses like Chaumet. In addition to its high jewelry creations reserved for a select few, the brand also offers more accessible high jewelry lines, like the ones Leung mentioned – Bee My Love and Liens.

The only Asian CEO of an LVMH brand, Leung seems to have made Chaumet his home and is happy to share a simple piece of advice for those in Hong Kong and elsewhere aspiring to join the luxury industry.

“If you don’t love what you do, you’re in the wrong industry and you can’t succeed,” he says. “You have to be passionate about what you do and you’ll succeed because that’s who you are. Maybe that’s where my motivation comes from and that’s how I’ve been in this industry all these years.”