04.10.2018

Meet Antoine Couvreur, our Zone Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. He started as an intern within the Rémy Cointreau Group, and 17 years after his first full-time gig, he’s held six roles in three different locations.

From Reims, to Paris, to Miami, Antoine now spends his working days visiting key markets around Latin America and the Caribbean.

Rémy Cointreau Career Path

• Zone Director Latin America & Caribbean — Miami, 2 years and counting …
• Global Brand Director — Paris, 2 years
• Director of Marketing Intelligence — Paris, 2 years
• Brand & Markets Manager — Paris, 2 years
• International Senior Brand Manager — Paris, 3 years
• International Brand Manager for Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck & Charles Heidsieck (formerly part of the Rémy Cointreau Group) — Reims, 2 years

How did your career with Rémy Cointreau begin?
I was recruited by Rémy Cointreau when I was very young for an internship within the former Champagne division in Reims. Then, they gave me the opportunity to go abroad and work with one of their distributors in Ireland to improve my English and better understand commercial dynamics.
Upon returning, I started my career in international brand management for Champagnes Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck in Reims, and then moved on to mostly marketing positions in Paris, with brands such as Passoã and Cointreau, as well as managing St-Rémy as Brand and Markets Manager.
Lastly, in Paris, I worked as Director of Marketing Intelligence, focusing on consumer insights and the creation of our first Brand Academy and Digital Marketing department. Then, I took the leap abroad for my current role.

What does your role entail?
It’s an on-the-field job. Together, with my team, I manage Latin America and the Caribbean markets. Our mission is to strengthen the positions of our brands in each of our markets and to offer great experiences to our clients.
Now, my role is mostly commercial: I am in charge of the sales and management of an entire region. I travel most days to support my team, meet with our distributors and our clients, and identify new opportunities.
I am very passionate about what I do, as well as the ability to go live my professional skills out in the field.

How did you find the transition from marketing to sales?
Smooth­—mostly because I am passionate about what I do, and there was a lot of correlation. I had learned how to define marketing strategy, new tools, products, rituals, as well as their consumption. All the studies I did on pricing, connecting with clients, making retail environments more luxurious, more appealing—everything I learned to do in office, I brought to the market. Learning to move from theory to practice was extremely important for me.

What were your motivations for moving from France to Miami?
It was exactly what I wanted to do: to go abroad, equipped with our company values, and work with teams around the world who share them. The Zone Director role involved marketing, while actually experiencing cases studied in the office. I desired to move overseas, because it enabled me to enrich my experience, personally and professionally, and work with different cultures in various environments.

What can you share about your team members?
To work in an international and multicultural environment is extremely enriching. My teams in the markets are located in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Antigua in the Caribbean, and there are about 19 of us in Barbados. My team consists of Mexicans, Brazilians, Barbadians, Americans, French … People who are passionate about learning and living. I am based in Miami but, usually, I am only there on Friday and during the weekends. I travel all the time to go work with my teams.

Why Rémy Cointreau?
Rémy Cointreau is not afraid to “take a risk,” per se. While I was more of a marketer, they took confidence in my ability to change from marketing to sales, as well as change geographic locations. That’s a true compliment to Rémy Cointreau: Not every company would do that.
I feel proud to work for Rémy Cointreau. Our Group has strong ambitions, a clear strategy, unique brands, and values that match with mine. Beyond that, at Rémy Cointreau, I know exactly who I work for. I can call Valérie, our CEO. I know the family for whom we work. We’re lucky, as we’re not solely a number in a large company.
I also am grateful to the Group, the management teams, and the family for having confidence in their team members and enabling people to have new experiences. I know why I am working and the meaning, the “why” behind it. It’s extraordinary to feel so confident about what you’re doing.

Since his testimonial, Antoine has been appointed Managing Director Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau, in Hong Kong, and now General Director of Mount Gay, back in Miami and La Barbade.