CEO Talks: Bulgari’s Jean-Christophe Babin on Collective Game, Jewelry Signs and Romanity

MILAN — Jean-Christophe Babin is drawn to “people that have energy and enthusiasm, who have ideas and the courage to fight for them, and who, as in soccer, believe that a collective game is more profitable than an individual game. Autonomy and individualism are two very different things.” An upbeat, approachable executive, Babin has translated this energy and enthusiasm to leading Bulgari as its chief executive officer, further building the company’s product offer, manufacturing capabilities, global distribution and international footprint. One of his first strategies upon his arrival at Bulgari in 2013 from Tag Heuer was to render the company “much more ambitious. In the 2000s, Bulgari was convinced its jewelry had reached its peak success and that it needed to diversify to grow.” While admitting this strategy helped build a solid watch, perfume and hotel business, Babin believes Bulgari had room to grow in its core category and was “very, very far from that peak,” compared to brands such as Cartier and Tiffany. “I tried to raise the level of ambition, in particular on jewels because for me, given the historical excellence of the company in high jewelry, that was the area where customers expected the most,” recalled Babin. “Bulgari in the

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