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FT to host 7th annual Business of Luxury Summit

The Financial Times will host its seventh annual Business of Luxury Summit on June 5-7, 2011, at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Chaired by Lionel Barber (pictured), editor of the Financial Times, the event will bring together senior luxury executives, corporate decision makers and financiers from around the world to debate key issues facing the global luxury sector. Previous Summits have been held in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Shanghai, Venice, Tokyo and Monte Carlo.

The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘What Price Luxury?’ As the world exits the recession, the summit will look at which areas are recovering first, what this means for consumer spending, the fear factors still on the horizon that could challenge expectations, and the role of the internet.

Notoriously private CEOs from some of the most successful and exciting luxury businesses including Balenciaga, Lanvin, Hublot and Coty, are to speak publicly, some for the first time, on topics such as pricing consistency, balancing currencies, anti-counterfeiting policy and what the revival of M&A means for the future of luxury businesses.

Speakers will include:

• Thierry Andretta, CEO, Lanvin

• Bernd Beetz, CEO, Coty Inc

• Jean-Claude Biver, CEO, Hublot SA

• Lionel Breton, Chairman & CEO, Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët

• Gian Giacomo Ferraris, Chief Executive, Gianni Versace SpA

• Isabelle Guichot, President & CEO, Balenciaga

• Margareth Henriquez, President & CEO, Krug

• Frederick Lukoff, President & CEO, Stella McCartney

• Marigay McKee, Fashion & Beauty Director, Harrods Ltd

• Jim O'Neill, Chairman, Asset Management & former Chief Economist, Goldman Sachs

• Marc Puig, Chairman & CEO, Puig

• Martin Wolf, CBE, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “This year’s FT Business of Luxury Summit comes at an important time. Having emerged from the financial crisis, the luxury industry now faces the challenges of an increasingly global and complex marketplace. I look forward to what is sure to be a lively debate with our impressive line-up of speakers.”

The FT is renowned for its coverage and analysis of the luxury world, and this Summit is the premier event for evaluating the economic issues facing the industry. The Summit attracts senior executives from global luxury brands, luxury consultants, brand experts, fund managers, M&A specialists and securities and retail analysts.