All change at Swatch Group as key exec retirement prompts big CEO reshuffle

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 19, 2020

Watchmaking giant Swatch Group has reshuffled its leadership team and named new heads for several of its key brands in a change that analysts had been expecting for some time. All of the new appointments will happen on July 1.

It means Rado’s current chief, Matthias Breschan, is stepping up to take on the much bigger Longines brand as Longines veteran Walter von Kaenel steps down. Breschan is a member of the extended group management board. Von Kaenel will be enjoying a “well-deserved retirement” but has also been elected honorary chairman of Longines and will remain chairman of the Longines Foundation.

And over at Tissot, Hamilton’s current head Sylvain Dolla will succeed another long-serving member of the leadership team, Francois Thiebaud, who is now chairman at the brand and will also join the extended group management board. 

Omega’s CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, currently a member of the extended group management board is joining the executive group management board.

That clearly leaves a number of vacancies at certain brands with Vivian Stauffer now becoming CEO of Hamilton and moving from the post of head of brand sales. Meanwhile Adrian Bosshard, the current CEO of Certina and Union, is moving to run Rado and Marc Aellen will be leading Certina, having been VP sales of Jaquet Droz.

Swatch hasn’t had to bring any new leaders in to the company in this reshuffle and is sticking with brand heads that know the company and its labels intimately.