If you are a watch collector or watch lover, you will know the name François-Henry Bennahmias. The CEO and poster boy of Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet—and massive Yoda fan—joined the maison in 1994 following a brief spell in the worlds of fashion and sports.
In 2022, Bennahmias announced that he would retire in 2023, a year shy of his 60th birthday. Just a little before the Le Brassus watchmaker announced Ilaria Resta, a senior leader and president of a global perfumery based in Geneva to take over its reigns as the new CEO, Bennahmias visited Hong Kong, speaking to Tatler about the need for women to run the world.
This is your last year serving as the CEO of Audemars Piguet. How does it feel to be leaving?
Sure, it’s the end, but it’s the end of a beautiful, 29-year love story. [When I announced in
