Jean-Claude Biver

Jean -Claude Biver ( born September 20, 1949 in Luxembourg ) is a Swiss entrepreneur and manager. He is the former Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) and since 2004 a member of the Board of Directors of Swiss watch company Hublot, since 2012 its president.

Prior to joining Hublot, he oversaw the watch brands Blancpain and Omega SA, both of which are now owned by the Swatch Group.

Beginnings and career

Biver was born in Luxembourg. At the age of ten he moved with his family to Switzerland where he attended school in Saint- Prex. He studied at the Collège de Morges and completed his studies in business administration from HEC Lausanne. In the Vallée de Joux, he learned the art of watchmaking, and Jacques Piguet, the head of the movement Frédéric Piguet SA Manufactory know. Jacques father made Biver acquainted with Georges Golay, the Chairman and CEO of Audemars Piguet (AP). Biver completed one year of training with Audemars Piguet. Subsequently, he led the sales and marketing in Europe. After a year he left the company and joined as a product manager at Omega. After a year he left Omega to return to the Manufacture d' horlogerie in the Vallée de Joux.

Watch Industry

After his return to the Vallée de Joux in 1981 Biver acquired in 1982 together with Jacques Piguet, the rights to the brand Blancpain, which had been inactive since 1956. Blancpain had a long history was, but come with the advent of quartz watches out of style. Biver and Piguet to rebuild its brand, Blancpain then had a turnover of 50 million Swiss francs. 1992 Biver sold the brand for 60 million francs to the SSIH Group (now Swatch Group). The original purchase price amounted to 22,000 francs. Biver joined the management team of Nicolas G. Hayek, and remained until 2003 CEO of Blancpain.

Omega

Following the sale of Blancpain Biver joined the Executive Board of the Swatch Group and was entrusted with the task of renewing the Swatch brand Omega. Biver practiced mainly in the areas of product and marketing influence and used such as product placement ( especially in James Bond films ) and support from celebrities ( such as testimonials from Cindy Crawford, Michael Schumacher and Pierce Brosnan ). Biver left Omega in 2003, in his ten years to the company's revenues have nearly tripled.

Hublot

In 2004, he became CEO and Member of the Board of the small, profiled company Hublot, which had in 1980 brought a new type of clock in gold and rubber on the market. Within a year, at Baselworld 2005, a new clock called Big Bang was introduced, which won numerous awards. From this point, Hublot showed a rapid growth, sales increased within four years from 25 million to more than 200 million francs in 2008; This year the brand was sold to the luxury group LVMH. In November 2009, the new, modern factory in Nyon, was inaugurated. On 6000 sqm here the UNICO movement is made.

Was launched in 2006, Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot TV with the first founded by a luxury brand TV channel on the Internet. Hublot TV is produced in their own studio and comes to more than 100 shipments per year.

Under Biver, Hublot was the first luxury brand that entered partnerships in the area of football. In 2008, Hublot Official Timekeeper of Manchester United and the European Football Championship 2008. In 2010, the watchmakers of the first Official Timekeeper of FIFA and the next two Soccer World Championships was, immediately after he was introduced as Official Watch of Formula 1. At the Yacht Club of Monaco, the Real Club Nautico de Palma, the Copa del Rey and the America's Cup - In addition, the brand is involved in sailing. In addition, the brand is a sponsor at important competitions in golf, polo and skiing.

Under Jean- Claude Bivers auspices of the network of Hublot partner dealers was expanded very fast, now sell 700 retail outlets, the products, and opened more than 30 exclusive Hublot boutiques. On 1 January 2012, he handed over the company's management to Ricardo Guadalupe, Biver took over the office of President of the Board.

Social Commitment

In the 2008 European Football Championship Biver presented the advertising space Hublot the anti - racism campaign Unite Against Racism available. 2010 were 2 percent of sales of Hublot to welfare organizations and charities (Instituto Ayrton Senna, African Wildlife Foundation, Smiling Children, Manchester United Foundation, United for Unicef ​​, Turtle Ridge Foundation, Usain Bolt Foundation, ICM Institute, Raissa Gorbatcheva Foundation, Make- A-Wish Foundation, Only Watch ).

Awards

  • 2007: In a survey by the magazine Business Montres watches journalists under Biver was voted Best Watches Manager and the Best Communicator
  • 2008: CEO of the Year at Premier Watches, Jewellery and Pens Awards in Bahrain
  • 2008: Manager of the Year, Swiss magazine PME
  • 2009: Election to the Man of the Year by the Italian magazine Orologi da Polso, the French magazine Revue des Montres montres and business as well as the Swiss magazine GMT.
  • 2010: Walpole Award for Excellence
  • 2010: Entrepreneurship Award Gaia
  • 2010: Special Jury Award at the Luxury and Creation Talents Awards
  • 2011: Caesar Award, Bucharest, for his " body of work and his accomplishments as a visionary businessman and marketing genius ."

Others

Jean -Claude Biver produced on his farm in the Swiss Alps each year about five tons of cheese, which he gives for free to friends, his family and certain restaurants of their choice.

Biver is married to his second wife, has five children and lives in La Tour -de- Peilz. He is suffering from Legionnaires' disease. In 2011, the native of Luxembourg to the Swiss citizenship. His fortune was estimated in 2012 by the Swiss business magazine balance to 150 million francs. His brother Marc Biver is the manager in sports.

Nicolas Hayek Manchester United F.C. Make-A-Wish-Foundation Aargauer Zeitung
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