Corum is built on the foundations of creativity and boldness, and its leaders need to reflect this ethos.
Richard Louis joined Corum in 2013, becoming vice-president for North America and the Caribbean after just one year with the company.
His lengthy career before this included working for companies including Gucci, TAG Heuer, Birks and Mayors Jewelers.
Adversity often sparks innovation, and for a brand as innovative as Corum that has never rung more true than during the pandemic.
Faced with serious supply chain issues, Richard drew his extensive experience, and combined forces with his Swiss team to come up with a plan: “We developed a global inventory strategy based on my merchandise planning background. This new process has eased some of the inventory crunches around the world and will continue to speed up the process of supplying our retail partners with the timepieces their clients wish to purchase.”
Richard has also used the time to further develop Corum’s philanthropic endeavors, supporting The Florida Panthers and the Florida Fury Hockey Foundation, which is dedicated to providing hockey programs to underprivileged youth.
In a world of social media, and facing an increasingly competitive market, Richard is ensuring Corum keeps up.
“As a niche brand, we will need to modernize our thought process going forward and figure out how to leverage the pre-owned watch market for the benefit of our consumers,” he says.
Taking a holistic view of the business is what helps Richard to lead Corum, he says: “Listen and let others speak; it’s important to have not only all the information, but also to listen to ideas from various sides of the business; to build the best plan possible based on all the facts.”
