Georges Kern studied political science in Strasbourg (France) and was awarded a degree in business management from the University of Saint Gallen (Switzerland) before beginning his career in 1989 with Kraft Foods Switzerland.
Three years later, he transferred to the watch industry. He started out as head of marketing for TAG Heuer, subsequently taking up a position as director of the German and Austrian divisions. In 2000 he joined luxury group Richemont and was actively involved in incorporating IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne, which had been bought from German group Mannesmann, into the group. In 2002, at the age of just 36, he became CEO of IWC, and in 2017 he was made Head of Watchmaking, Marketing and Digital for the entire Richemont group, with management oversight of all the group’s watch brands.
Just a few months later, in September 2017, Georges Kern handed in his resignation and became a shareholder and CEO of Breitling SA. His priority is to develop the company internationally and strengthen the brand’s digital and commercial presence, with a view to accelerating growth in the main Asian markets.
