Reports have been doing the rounds that Apple has tapped the sales director of Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer as it wants to put the best team behind its new iWatch.
Apple will soon jump into the wearable space with its iWatch. The Cupertino tech giant is going to extreme ends to secure a perfect launch for its smartwatch. Adding to the string of notable hires, Apple reportedly hired the global sales VP of the renowned Swiss watchmaker, Tag Heuer. It is clear; Apple wants someone with great expertise to handle its iWatch operations. It will be launched sometime this year.
According to CNBC, Patrick Pruniaux will help Apple with the launch of iWatch, said Jean-Claude Biver - head of LVMH, the company that owns Tag Heuer. LVMH also owns other renowned Swiss brands such as Hublot and Zenith. Biver said he is happy for Pruniaux, in his statement to CNBC.
"If it had been a direct competitor, I would have felt a bit betrayed, but if he goes to Apple I think it is a great experience for him," he said.
As for Pruniaux, the departure from Tag Heuer comes almost ten years after he was moved from LVMH's Moet Hennessy, according to his LinkedIn profile. Pruniaux played various roles at the company, started as the international export director and became the VP of sales for the EMEIA regions, and finally the VP of global sales and retail for the company in 2010. Pruniaux's LinkedIn page has not been updated on his transition to Apple.
Apple has neither disclosed any info on the new hire nor have any reports confirmed Pruniaux's new role in the company. But, Apple has silently been making several new hires recently including Burberry ex-Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts in May and head of Yves Saint Laurent's head Paul Deneve last year,TechCrunch reports.
It has long been rumored that Apple was working on its iWatch, but there has been no confirmation from the Cupertino tech giant about its existence. If launched this fall, as expected, Apple will be competing against existing players including Samsung and LG, and soon-to-be-joining Motorola. However, the iWatch's exclusivity to Apple devices will set itself apart from the crowd.
