NICOLAS BARETZKI

Three years ago, as the Richemont Group underwent a massive restructuring in leadership, Montblanc’s then-CEO, Jérôme Lambert, took on a new role as chief operating officer (he’s now CEO of the group). Nicolas Baretzki, then vice president of sales at Montblanc, took over as head of the diverse brand that carries writing instruments, watches, jewellery, leather goods, eyewear and fragrances within its portfolio.

Baretzki led a dramatic retail change at Montblanc as the head of sales, emphasising an e-commerce experience that complemented its brick-and-mortar solutions across the world. The NEO retail concept Montblanc has championed continues to drive sales growth in the brand, and this is attested to by the numbers in Richemont’s Annual Report for 2018. We speak to Baretzki about the brand’s business diversification and how it is strengthening its watch and jewellery segment, particularly with respect to new markets such as Australia.

Mr Baretzki, by the time this interview