Description
โYou cannot know China until you live in China.โ Sonia Benjelloun-Carpentier, Managing Director of Piaget China, has spent two decades across hard luxuryโfrom Tag Heuer to De Beers, Cartier, Bulgari, and now Piagetโleading brands through complex markets where culture, consumer psychology, and timing decide everything.
Soniaโs career arc is a study in mobility and reinvention: born and raised in Morocco, trained in Paris, early marketing foundation at LโOrรฉal, then a jump into watchmaking and jewelry in Dubai. From there she built retail and high-jewelry depth in London and Paris, returned to the Middle East to lead marketing and communications, then stepped into full P&L leadershipโfirst as Managing Director for Middle East, India and Africa, and since 2022 as MD for mainland China, arriving at the height of uncertainty.
In this episode:
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐บ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ โ why moving early builds cultural agility that compounds for life
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ โ leading in markets where meaning sits between the lines
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ vs ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ท๐ผ๐น๐ โ how โcloseโ markets can still work very differently
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ ๐ โ the left-brain / right-brain shift, and the nonโnegotiable link between brand and sales
๐ก๐ฒ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ โ why the deal often closes after the meeting, not in it
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐บ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ โ COVID, reopening whiplash, real estate shock, and confidence cycles
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐น๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ โ Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and how one brand speaks to all
๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ โ what surprised her about China, and what โhaving women at the tableโ looks like in practice
If you lead a business across bordersโor youโre trying to translate a marketโs real dynamics back to headquartersโthis conversation is a practical guide to operating with humility, speed, and clarity.
---
๐ง Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your executive inspiration and learn how global leaders think ahead, move faster, and lead smarter.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to exclusive insights and all the details about the Leaders in Motion Academy, our executive program.
If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.
--
Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving todayโs leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrowโs challenges and lead with intention.
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.




