A native Luxembourger, Philippe Schaus, has been the chairman and CEO of Moët Hennessy (LVMH group’s wine and spirits division), since 2017. Moët Hennessy (MH) comprises prestigious champagne houses, wines, and cognacs including Moët et Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart and Hennessy.
Your job requires you to travel the world. As someone who grew up in Luxembourg City, do you see yourself as an ambassador for the Grand Duchy?
Philippe Schaus – As the head of MH, I am an ambassador for the group, its fine houses as well as for LVMH. Since last year, I’ve been president of the France-Luxembourg Business Club which brings together decision-makers from France and the Grand Duchy. In this capacity, I am as much an ambassador for France as I am for Luxembourg.
From aerospace engineer to luxury goods CEO, that’s quite a remarkable career path. What has been the common thread throughout?
Philippe Schaus – Passion is one of the keys to success. I have always been passionate about what I do. Throughout my studies and my career, I have seen my dreams, desires and interests evolve. You always have to try things out to know if you like them.
Sustainable agriculture is a hot topic right now. MH launched the first World Living Soils Forum in Arles-en-Provence last June. There were two days of talks between biologists, researchers, academics, but also journalists and other players in the agricultural-food sector. Why did MH decide to hold this event?
Philippe Schaus – We work with champagne, whisky, cognac, wine… So, we have a unique concept of time. We have just bottled eaux-de-vie that were distilled a century ago. And we are now distilling eaux-de-vie with the understanding that they will be enjoyed a hundred years from now. Our houses have been passed down through generations. It is up to us to make sure that we can do the same. But if we don’t protect our soil, there will be nothing to pass on. What we do is absolutely essential to continuity. When we noticed that there were numerous researchers working in different sectors trying to understand these soils, we decided to be the catalyst and brought these specialists together.
What came out of this first meeting? Did it give your group new direction?
Philippe Schaus – MH wasn’t there to teach, but to create connections between experts who did not yet know each other. The event will be held every two years. We did indeed learn some important lessons from this meeting. For example, it is fundamental that we create biodiversity corridors “” to sacrifice a few vines to replant hedges and link forests together. We also learned that we must use cover crops in the vineyards to generate more biodiversity. We have already started experimenting with regenerative viticulture. And at the end of 2021, we opened a Research and Development centre in the Champagne region, which focuses on vines.
You’ve travelled extensively and must have tasted some extraordinary food. Was it ever accompanied by a wine or champagne from your houses?
Philippe Schaus – I love Japanese cuisine. It is very diverse, and there are plenty of dishes to discover. I’ve met many talented Japanese chefs, and several of them have told me that the best drink to go with sushi is not sake…but champagne!
