The admirable way Champagne Krug has made changes in the last few years, particularly in its carefully managed
change of chef de cave from Eric Lebel to Julie Cavil as well as telling its fans more about how Krug is made,
it one of Champagne’s great magic carpet rides. And steering the stately helter skleter’s direction has been CEO
and President Maggie Henriquez. But in December 2021 the news was broken by Champagne insider Sophie Claeys. that Maggie
Henriquez, the long-admired CEO and president ofChampagne Krug, will quit her post in March 2022 to become CEO of the
Chinese-ownedBaccarat, on whose board she has served for seven years.
An accomplishedsenior business strategist, Venezuelan-born Henriquez joined the wine and spirits
division of luxury conglomerate LVMH in 2001 and began at Krug in 2009. With
Olivier Krug she has steered the most revered Champagne house away from its
Champagne as a whole has been slow to adopt – that champagne is best
appreciated as a wine and not just an accoutrement and signal of fun. She pushes
the idea that paying attention to champagne is akin to listening properly to good
music, be it the best rock, jazz or classical. And that it needs a proper wine glass
revealing more than a flute’s rising bubbles.
As well as negotiating a longer ageing period for Krug, Henriquez oversaw the
induction of Julie Cavil to take over as chef de cave on Eric Lebel’s retirement and in
the meantime made information about winemaking and exactly what goes into each
bottle of Krug more available to those who want to know. She became an energetic
and good-humoured founder-member of La Transmission, a group of leading women
in Champagne. It has been quite a sight to see her pouring champagne at their
annual Champagne Week tasting in Reims, as if she were a brand assistant on hand
to help, but in expert discussion while divvying up a magnum between supplicant
Krugistes.
Maybe more than anything else, Henriquez inspires affection, something
few bosses of Champagne houses achieve, for all the respect they may enjoy.
In an official statement about her departure, Henriquez commented, ‘After much
reflection, I have concluded that my cycle at Krug is coming to an end and that it is
time to let younger leaders take over this new cycle. You all know me as someone
who loves developing talents. To follow their careers and see them progress is to
me a great gift. You also know how much I value coherence and it is precisely in the
interest of coherence that I must step back at the beginning of this new cycle
because I would never be able to complete it. I am very proud to be succeeded by
one of the leaders of this group who is dear to me, and with whom I have worked
closely since I joined Krug in 2009. I know he will lead the House with the excellent
team in place on the right path. With joy and great emotion, I pass the torch to
Manuel Reman who will have the responsibility of leading this wonderful House for
the coming years.’