23. From Dubai to Shanghai: Leading Through Volatility with Sonia Benjelloun Carpentier

Episode notes

“You cannot know China until you live in China.” Sonia Benjelloun-Carpentier, Managing Director of Piaget China, has spent two decades across hard luxury—from Tag Heuer to De Beers, Cartier, Bulgari, and now Piaget—leading brands through complex markets where culture, consumer psychology, and timing decide everything. Sonia’s career arc is a study in mobility and reinvention: born and raised in Morocco, trained in Paris, early marketing foundation at L’Oréal, then a jump into watchmaking and jewelry in Dubai. From there she built retail and high-jewelry depth in London and Paris, returned to the Middle East to lead marketing and communications, then stepped into full P&L leadership—first as Managing Director for Middle East, India and Africa, and since 2022 as MD for mainland China, arriving at the height of uncertainty.