10.08.2018

Roots in Cognac, Adrien Duchemin’s passion for spirits and strategy games led him to self-taught web design and digital media. Read about his shift from finance to digital and why he chose to work with us.

How did you get into digital?
I didn’t choose to go into digital. It was really organic for me. When I was young, we didn’t have digital schools, studies or specializations. I was a big online gamer, to the point of being addicted to strategy games. I was part of a team, and we needed a website because we started to be good enough to have visibility. No one knew how to do it, so I started to look into what building a website would take.

How did you learn?
I taught myself on the Internet, and then, became part of a web designer crew. I started my own web design agency when I was a student, when I was naturally studying video games outside my finance curriculum. I started on an accountant track —it’s my mathematical side— and then landed an opportunity in digital at a major beauty company. I still think maths helps me every day.

Why did you join Rémy Cointreau?
Cognac and the House of Rémy Martin have always been special to me because I was born in this area of France. I even created an innovative brand of cognac mixed with grape juice (which is no longer in production). Rémy Martin is famous and respected among local winegrowers for its vineyards but also for its environmental leadership. I believe that other cognac producers aren’t taking this much care into where they buy their cognac. This green chart was extremely respected in my area, which is why I always admired them.

Before joining the Rémy Cointreau group, I was working in a digital communications consultancy when I learned that the Rémy Cointreau group was in the process of strengthening its digital teams. Being immersed in the world of spirits and digital marketing for more than 10 years, it didn’t take me long to spontaneously contact the teams.

What positions have you held within the group?
I joined the group in 2015 as Head of Digital Communications for the Liqueurs & Spirits division. At that time, we were just starting our global digital strategy, so I was in support of all the brands. After the launch of our major digital projects, I quickly dedicated myself to Cointreau, the largest brand in the Liqueurs & Spirits division.

After several years with Cointreau, I had the opportunity to continue my career with Rémy Martin: I have been in charge of Rémy Martin’s digital communication worldwide since 2019. It is very exciting to take care of the global digital strategy of this major luxury brand with high stakes in e-retail on the Chinese market.

How were these changes decided?
The group’s various brands inspire one another. The internal sharing sessions are an excellent way to take full measure of the synergies that we can create within the group. For Cointreau as for Rémy Martin, these changes were a natural extension of the projects we had started.

One of our projects for the group required dedicated resources and we had to reorganize our teams. The Talent Team offered me this opportunity for internal mobility. We then discussed it with the various CEOs and brand managers in order to organize it as well as possible. As digital acceleration is one of the Group’s priorities, we should not stop seeing new opportunities.

What advice would you give to someone who is about to experience internal mobility?
In my opinion, internal mobility is too often seen as a response to the desire to discover new opportunities. In my case, it was above all a new step in my professional project, and the switch felt very natural. The continuity and transparency of this project that was shared with my managers and the Talent Team probably helped.

Before the opportunity arose, my manager knew the direction I wanted to take in my career, and we openly talked about it. He gave me many pieces of advice and helped me through this new adventure. Internal mobility is therefore a project that is also built with your manager.

What’s it like to work with Rémy Cointreau?
It’s about passion. For me, I have two passions: One for the spirits industry; the other for digital. I am at the crossroads of everything I love to do, but even if I had no passion for spirits or digital, I would love working here. You come here because there is a family spirit.

People are looking out for you, giving you the chance to prove what you can do. So, someone who wants to learn and work in a good, respectful environment can do huge things. The terroir is so fertile that you can grow very quickly and learn so much so fast, and that is very inspiring. Before I came here, I was not looking for family values in my career, not because I didn’t like them, but because I never experienced them. And when I came here, I experienced this sense of meeting everyone in a family that wants to help you do your very best.

Watch Adrien, a talented photographer, in our third edition of “Reveal Your Inner Talents,” sponsored by our Global Talent Development team.