Philippe Schaus

Philippe Schaus (born 6 June 1963) is a Luxembourg-born business executive and eurospace engineer. He was President sales at Vuitton and chief executive officer (CEO) of DFS Group and Moët Hennessy.

Backgroud Schaus studied airspace engineering at the University of Liège from 1982 to 1987, and then completed an MBA at INSEAD from 1989 to 1990

Schaus started his career at J.P. Morgan in Brussels (1987-1989) and The Boston Consulting Group in Munich ( 1990-1992).

In 2017, Schaus was appointed President and CEO of Moët Hennessy, the luxury wines and spirits division jointly owned by LVMH and Diageo. He served as a member of the LVMH Executive Committee and chaired the joint committee representing both shareholder companies.

In early 2021, Moët Hennessy acquired 50% of Armand de Brignac Champagne.

In 2023, Moët Hennessy acquired Chateau Minuty, another French rosé wine company.

Overall financial performance during tenure as CEO Under Schaus's leadership, Moët Hennessy experienced an overall decline of profitability. When Schaus joined in 2017, the company reported profits of € 1.558 million. Upon his departure in 2024, the company reported profits of € 1.356 million, representing an overall decline of -13% over his 8 years with the company, excluding inflation.

Controversy at Moët Hennessy In May 2025, The Financial Times published an investigative article detailing a significant strategic and financial crisis at Moët Hennessy during Schaus's tenure as CEO. The report cited internal documents and interviews with individuals familiar with the business, highlighting a dramatic reversal in the division's financial position—from generating over €1 billion in cash in 2019 to burning through €1.5 billion by 2024.

Under Schaus's leadership, Moët Hennessy pursued an aggressive strategy of price increases and a nearly €2 billion acquisition spree, that included Armand de Brignac, Joseph Phelps and Provençal wine brand Minuty. Several of these deals were later characterized by insiders as adding "complexity, lowering margins, and draining cash," with few delivering the intended returns. highlighted allegations of a toxic workplace culture at Moët Hennessy during Philippe Schaus’s tenure as CEO. The report indicated claims of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation by a former senior employee. It described an environment where at least 20 employees took long-term sick leave in 2024, and multiple individuals—including women—lodged complaints of bullying and inappropriate behavior. Alleged incidents included insensitive comments and rumors that employees were subjected to sexist remarks and coached in ways unrelated to professional development. The company dismissed the characterisation of its culture as exaggerated and noted that such labor tribunal cases are routine in France. Schaus and the head of HR had previously attempted to address employee concerns in an internal memo, emphasizing confidentiality, fairness, and the distress that “one‑sided narratives” might cause.

According to French media reports from Challenges and La Lettre, he was reportedly singled out for the company's financial results and what is described in the publications as mismanagement of a case of harassment. However LVMH did not publicly comment on the reasons for a leadership change.

Schaus was replaced by longtime LVMH CFO, Jean-Jacques Guinoy as President and CEO in February 2025.