Editor’s Note
This article examines the strategic leadership changes at Jacquemus as CEO Sarah Benady continues to professionalize the brand’s management, notably with the appointment of a new COO to bolster operational and financial expertise.
Since Sarah Benady took over as CEO in March of last year, the French independent designer brand Jacquemus has been steadily advancing the professionalization of its management team. Benady, who previously worked at Celine, The Kooples, and Ba&sh, has recently brought in a key figure with a deep background in finance and operations upon her return to Paris to lead the brand—appointing Clarisse Godbillon as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Godbillon’s career spans financial consulting and fashion operations. Prior to joining Jacquemus, she joined the designer brand Lemaire as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2020 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2023, deeply involved in the expansion of the Christophe Lemaire brand.
Her career began in the field of mergers and acquisitions, where she worked at the boutique consulting firm Messier Maris & Associés, providing M&A advice to large corporations and investment institutions. In 2015, she joined the global outdoor advertising giant JC Decaux, responsible for managing the group’s external growth business. In 2018, she began assisting several designer brands with scaling up as a consultant, demonstrating precise control over the commercial operations of creative brands.
This personnel appointment comes at a critical turning point in Jacquemus’s brand development. In March of last year, founder Simon Porte Jacquemus established the holding company Jacquemus La Maison Mère, aiming to unify the management of its fashion and beauty businesses. In February of the same year, the L’Oréal Group acquired a minority stake in the brand.
According to industry expert estimates, Jacquemus’s annual revenue in 2023 was close to 280 million euros. However, against the backdrop of turbulence in the global luxury market, its revenue saw a slight decline in 2024. The introduction of Godbillon, with her profound financial foundation and operational experience, undoubtedly reflects the brand’s strategic determination to pursue more stable profit quality in the “post-high-growth era” and transition towards a group management model.