Richemont appoints Cartier veteran to lead Delvaux

Change at the helm for Delvaux. Parent company Richemont has appointed Yanina Novitskaya, Cartier’s CEO for South-East Asia and Oceania, to lead the Belgian luxury leather goods house into its next chapter. The luxury-industry veteran will take up her post on December 1, 2026, reporting to Philippe Fortunato, CEO of Richemont’s fashion and accessories division.

A graduate of the Moscow State University of Design and Technology, Novitskaya spent 19 years at Cartier, a flagship maison of the Richemont group. In her new role at Delvaux, she will be based at the handbag house’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

“I am truly delighted to take on the role of chief executive officer at Delvaux, a Maison with an extraordinary heritage, distinctive savoir-faire, and a unique creative identity,” said Yanina Novitskaya.

“Yanina’s deep knowledge of the luxury sector will be pivotal in guiding Delvaux through its next chapter, further strengthening its distinctive positioning while continuing to drive product desirability and international growth,” said Fortunato.

Yanina Novitskaya succeeds Jean-Marc Loubier, who was reappointed to lead Delvaux in 2021, just three months after Richemont’s acquisition of the brand.

“I would like to thank Jean-Marc Loubier, who transformed Delvaux into a global luxury house while reinforcing its unique identity, rooted in exceptional craftsmanship,” added Fortunato.

Founded in Brussels in 1829, Delvaux is a historic luxury leather goods house and has been an official supplier to the Royal Court of Belgium since 1883. The filing of the world’s first patent for a leather handbag (‘Princesse’, 1908) cemented the house’s status as the inventor of the modern handbag.

Delvaux’s archives include over 3,000 designs, among them the Brillant (1958), Tempête (1967), Pin (1972), Cool Box (2018), and Lingot (2022) models. The brand operates 50 boutiques worldwide across the leading international luxury capitals, from Paris and London to New York, Milan, Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing.