Cédric Charbit is the chief executive of Balenciaga and a member of Kering's executive committee. He joined Balenciaga as CEO in November 2016, tasked with further accelerating the brand’s international growth. His appointment to the helm one of the most directional and exciting brands in the industry — one year after Demna became artistic director of the house — evidenced Kering's confidence in his abilities to successfully commercialise Demna’s talent. Under Charbit, Balenciaga became amongst the top performing brands at Kering.
Charbit, a graduate of ESC Toulouse Business School, began his career in 2001 working as a luxury fashion buyer at the Printemps department store. He climbed the ranks, eventually becoming the sales associate director at the retailer. In 2009 he moved to Pucci where he served as a general manager, before joining Saint Laurent in 2012 as a product strategy director. In May 2016 he was appointed as the house’s executive vice president of product and marketing.
In November 2016, it was announced Charbit would be at the helm of Balenciaga, reporting directly to François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive of parent company Kering. He aims to make the brand a billion-euro company. As of May 2022, Charbit has helped to push Balenciaga past $2 billion a year in sales, according to analyst estimates.
In 2021, Balenciaga revived its Couture heritage after 50 years, presenting the 50th Couture collection at the historic couture salons of Cristóbal Balenciaga and launched a metaverse business unit proving the elasticity of the brand. Charbit’s particular interest in expanding the applications of fashion has set a path for Balenciaga to redefine modern luxury and become a global platform. The same year, Charbit was selected as president of the Andam Grand Prix jury.
In 2022 Balenciaga was listed amongst the Time100 Most Influential Companies.
