Former Bollinger staff take up new roles

Former Bollinger employees have taken up posts at Charles Heidsieck and Champagne De Castelnau, among other people moves in the Champagne region.

Stephen Leroux

Stephen Leroux, who was marketing director at Bollinger from January 2007 to December 2011, is to become director of Charles Heidsieck at the EPI Group, which bought the brand from Rémy Cointreau along with Piper Heidsieck in March last year.

Having left Bollinger at the end of 2011, Leroux spent the last twelve months at Louis Roederer, where he was export manager until the start of this year.

Somewhat ironically, Leroux was reporting to Louis Roederer’s international export director Frederic Heidsieck, who is a descendent of the Charles Heidsieck founding family.

Meanwhile, Hervé Augustin, who retired from Société Jacques Bollinger (SJB) on 1 October last year after 10 years at the group, has taken up the role of export director at the CRVC (Coopérative régionale des vins de Champagne), owners of the Champagne De Castelnau brand.

Augustin, who had been general manager at Bollinger, was most recently president of the company’s Ayala Champagne brand, which Bollinger bought in January 2005.

As previously reported by the drinks business, Hadrien Mouflard, who joined Champagne Bollinger in September 2008 as general secretary, and is just 32 years old, has replaced Augustin at Ayala.

Bollinger CEO Jérôme Philippon will now be accountable for Ayala as well as the Bollinger brand, and Philippon told db last week that he was planning a relaunch for Ayala, which would be unveiled at Vinexpo in June this year.

“We will have a revised look and a revised range, with fewer cuvées,” he said.

Herve Augustin

Elsewhere, former export director of Champagne Philipponnat, Vianney Gravereaux, has been recruited by Champagne Salon & Delamotte this year.

Gravereaux left Philipponnat in early 2011 to take up a position at Maison Louis Jadot, but left the Burgundian business in October last year after just six months. Meanwhile, his post at Philipponnat was filled by Antoine de Boysson.

Finally Alexis Petit-Gats, former marketing director for Champagnes Canard-Duchêne & Marie Stuart, has been promoted to the role of managing director at Canard-Duchêne from the start of this year.