Richemont plans agency hire
BRUSSELS: The luxury goods company behind Cartier jewellery and Montblanc writing instruments is poised to bring in public affairs agency support after the recruitment of a well-known lobbyist from eBay.
Paloma Castro Martinez, a Spanish national, has started work at Swiss-based Richemont Group in the newly created role of head of international government affairs.
Explaining the creation of the role, the company said: “Richemont is a mature company and has understood the relevance of the legislative and political agenda for business.”
Richemont told PAN it did not use a PA/government affairs agency “yet” but that it was “planning to work with one”. Further details were unavailable as PAN went to press.
As well as Cartier and Montblanc, other brands in Richemont’s empire include Alfred Dunhill and various Swiss watch brands. Richemont also has an investment in British American Tobacco, but shareholders in October approved a move to separate its luxury goods operations from its BAT interests.
Castro Martinez only started at eBay last year, having moved from a role as director of public affairs for Europe at fast-food firm McDonald’s. She was director of European affairs in Brussels at eBay, which told PAN it is already in discussions with potential replacements.
Richemont’s director of corporate affairs remains company stalwart Alan Grieve. Prior to joining Richemont’s predecessor companies in 1986, Grieve worked with Price Waterhouse & Co (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young).
