Julien Pepin Lehalleur
Born in Paris with Normandy origins, Julien’s passion for wine & spirits really started when he was elected President of EDHEC business school’s wine student club in 1996. After an additional year of business studies in Madrid and two years in marketing for Air France in Rome, Julien then started in 2000 his career at Ruinart in Reims as a Business controller. During this first experience, Julien participated to the launch of the new bottle shape for Ruinart Rosé and the creation of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, two major pillars of Ruinart’s success today. In 2004, Julien then moved to Christian Dior Couture in Paris to pursue his international career as Wholesale Sales Manager for Europe and Middle-East. Fashion is Julien’s second passion after wine & spirits. So when he was proposed the position of Commercial Director at Aïshti, to manage the expansion of a network of multibrand shops and franchises in the Middle-East, including Dior’s first ever franchise, in Lebanon, he brought his wife and two children to Beirut.
After two years there, in 2011, Julien’s passion for Champagne was knocking on the door and he was offered a position at the House of Krug. He did not hesitate and joined as Head of Business Development for USA and Asia, obviously the best job in the world to reconcile his love for Champagne with his will to travel worldwide and meet passionate people. From 2013 to 2016, he also co-created and managed the Education & Training unit.
He then gained experience working two years for Moët Hennessy Travel Retail, as Key Account Director Dufry and Aer Rianta.
Julien now finds himself in a newly created position at the House of Hennessy, as Brand Education & Training Director. He manages an experienced team of international trainers, whose mission is to support Hennessy’s business goals, by advocating the brand, hosting consumer and trade events, training on the brand messages whilst bringing coherence and consistency within the Education & Training ecosystem globally.
© Photo by Alexis Jacquin