The Luxurious Career of Nicolas Krafft at Christofle

Nicolas Krafft, the former managing director of the French luxury house, Christofle, didn't start his luxury career. Indeed, his career path has taken him from working for a building company to being an executive with an international duty-free company to leading Christofle, a brand synonymous with living elegantly and luxuriously.

While Nicolas Krafft's career path might seem a bit unusual, each step he took built upon the previous one. He received a master's degree in economics at the Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne University. His first job was as a store manager at Prisunic Builders Pvt. Although in a different industry, that experience led to his next position as an operations manager with retailer Aelia SAS. Aelia SAS operates duty-free shops in airports around the world. Much of Aelia's sales come from champagne, wine, spirits, gourmet foods, and tobacco. As Nicolas Krafft's career progressed, he became the general manager of Aelia, gradually learning more about these luxury goods. This knowledge helped prepare him for his next role in 2002 as managing director of the Asia Pacific region for Christofle. He became CEO of the Americas and then moved back to France to supervise the brand in France and the United Kingdom. After that, he became managing director.

However, unusual the movement from construction to luxury, it almost seems to have been a foregone conclusion, considering Nicolas Krafft's interests and passions. The elegantly-dressed Nicolas Krafft is himself a connoisseur of the finer things in life. In addition to his love and knowledge of wines, spirits, gourmet food, and tobacco. Nicolas also is a master of sabrage. The art of removing the cork from a bottle of champagne with a sword. His collection of sabers exceeds 100. Nicolas Krafft even has auctioned off a Christofle silver champagne saber and included a sabrage lesson. Appreciating these finer things is the Christofle brand's vision, which dates back to 1830 when Charles Christofle first founded the company.

Christofle still is a lifestyle brand whose customers are high net-worth individuals. They typically own multiple homes or a yacht that they want to furnish, Nicolas Krafft says. The company focuses on helping its customers understand how to use its products to have an elegant life. For example, one display in its Madison Avenue boutique or on social media might show its limited-edition silver plate champagne cooler, the Anemone-Belle Epoque Champagne Vasque, being used at a barbecue. Another might show gilded silverware amid a romantic table setting.

Nicolas Krafft says that Christofle's continued success will depend upon its relationship with customers and its continued evolution as a lifestyle brand. Many luxury brands are introducing lines of less expensive merchandise to gain new customers. Not so with Christofle, says Nicolas Krafft. "Our items are valuable, and we price them that way," he says. However, he notes that the company's jewelry line is more reasonably priced and is one way potential customers enter the brand. A client's daughter might receive a piece of Christofle jewelry as a gift, then later decide to furnish her home with its flatware, tableware, and other home decor items, he said.

Under Nicolas Krafft's leadership, Christofle has begun to partner with artists to create custom-designed, limited-edition pieces. "We are leaders and innovators, not just followers," says Nicolas Krafft, who notes that Christofle's founder was a visionary who owned several patents. These custom pieces are all crafted in the Christofle workshops located in Normandy, France. Despite their uniqueness, they are meant to be functional and not museum pieces, he says. During his tenure with the company, Nicolas Krafft also has helped the company improve its hospitality efforts and gain lifelong loyalty from current customers. He increased its wholesale and e-commerce sales, as well.

Enjoyment will continue to be an essential brand value as Christofle continues to evolve. Having a good time will continue to a part of Nicolas Krafft's life as well. Practicing sabrage at parties and serving as a sabrage instructor will continue his legacy, just as his propelling Christofle to tremendous success will be his professional legacy.