Fourth generation family members take the helm as group celebrates 120th anniversary
Riyadh - For esteemed jewelers Mouawad, the year 2010 resonates with particular importance as the company celebrates its 120th anniversary and ushers in a new era of leadership. The symbolic date of January 1st this year was selected by third generation Robert Mouawad for the official handover of the company reins to his sons Fred and Pascal.
"It is an honor to take over the leadership of the Mouawad Group, whose prestigious reputation has been built by three previous generations of our family," said Fred Mouawad. "As co-guardian of the brand with my brother Pascal, together we aim to continue the rich heritage of Mouawad while taking it to new heights and increasing the reach of the brand internationally."
"Both Fred and myself have spent more than a decade contributing to the Mouawad success story and are grateful for the trust placed in us by our father to carry the Mouawad Group into the future," said Pascal Mouawad. "Our vision is to broaden the reach and audience of the Mouawad brand through more accessible price points and expanding into other luxury products all while maintaining our obsession for quality and perfect craftsmanship."
For third generation Robert Mouawad the decision to retire from the family business and the industry to which he dedicated his life was not an easy one. Yet as he does just this he can look back on a lifetime of achievements. What he leaves behind for his sons is one of the world's most prestigious jewelry houses, whose reputation extends across more than a century of achievements. Thanks to generations of foresight and ambition, the Mouawad Group has penetrated continents across the world, while retaining its eminent position as jewelers to royalty, high society and those that appreciate the finest standards of dazzling craftsmanship. Guided forward by its fourth generation, the name Mouawad is destined to continue its legacy of excellence for centuries to come.
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About Mouawad
Backed by more than a century of excellence in its field, Mouawad designs, manufactures and sells its own exclusive jewelry collections ranging from boutique items to objets d'art and magnificent haute joaillerie pieces. Founded in 1890, the company rose to prominence by supplying important jewels to many royal houses and wealthy individuals across the world. Today, in its fourth generation of the Mouawad family, it counts modern day 'royalty' - iconic Hollywood celebrities - among its prestigious clientele. In addition to crafting fine jewelry, over the years the Mouawad family has acquired a collection of diamonds that is arguably the world's finest in private hands. The family's support of the global industry through research and education led to third generation Robert Mouawad receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and of having the GIA campus named in his honor. The vision of the fourth generation Fred and Pascal Mouawad as guardians of the brand is to continue the rich heritage of Mouawad by maintaining the focus on haute joaillerie and also widen distribution through contemporary and accessible price points to reach a broader customer base worldwide.
About Fred Mouawad
As a fourth generation member of the Mouawad family, Fred Mouawad inherited his father's and forefathers' entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. Fred grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, later pursuing his further education in the United States. In 1986 he attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and focused on business strategy, quantitative analysis, and marketing. His family's illustrious history of working with some of the world's finest gems influenced his next career move. In 1990 he attended the Gemological Institute of America where he obtained a Graduate Gemmologist degree. In 1993, he continued his education with a year in the MBA program at Harvard Business School.
Backed with a distinguished academic record and guided by his natural business flair, Fred went on to found a growing portfolio of companies in the ensuing years under the umbrella of Synergia One, of which he is founder, CEO and chairman. The group operates in 12 countries across several industries including the food service business, food manufacturing, creative media, interior design and construction, private equity advisory, IT development and consulting, publishing and trade shows, and franchising.
While proving himself as an entrepreneur in his own right, Fred has also played a key role in furthering the development of the Mouawad Group. Like his father before him, Fred has remained committed to guiding the wider industry forward, promoting knowledge sharing as a means to achieve this. His ambition gave birth to two jewelry retail industry magazines which have become leading publications in their field, as well as a high profile trade fair which has become an essential date in the annual calendar of North American jewelry retailers.
About Pascal Mouawad
With panache, innovation and an inspired vision, Pascal Mouawad has made his mark as the fourth generation of the prestigious Mouawad group, carrying the company's reputation for excellence in jewelry to new heights.
Born into a family that has owned a number of the world's most important diamonds, Pascal was immersed in the dazzling world of jewelry from a young age. Raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Pascal followed his graduation from high school with a move to Los Angeles to pursue his further education. His choice of location was astute, for he already harbored the determination to one day grow the Mouawad family business much further beyond its European base to the United States. After undergraduate studies at California's Pepperdine University, he went on to obtain his Gemology Degree from the Gemological Institute of America, which he followed with an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.
Leaving academia behind, in 1999 Pascal made the move to New York from where he set to work putting his vision for the family business into action. The US, and specifically Hollywood, remained at the heart of Pascal's vision for the company. His grandfather before him had earned a prestigious status as jeweler to royalty across the world. Decades later, Pascal brought an innovative twist to this family tradition by courting the glamorous 'royalty' of the modern day - iconic celebrities - with Mouawad's renowned European traditions and craftsmanship.
In 2006 Pascal made the pivotal decision to move the company's offices from New York on the East Coast of the USA to Los Angeles on the West Coast. The relocation helped nurture Mouawad's growing relations with Hollywood's A-list. Once again demonstrating pioneering innovation, Pascal took Mouawad's celebrity relationships yet further. In addition to dressing some of the hottest stars with his extravagant jewels, Pascal also began collaborating with them to create their own collections under the Mouawad label. The move broke new ground in the world of fine jewelry and set Mouawad apart from other jewelers.
© Press Release 2011
