Once Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger had bought back the family Champagne House in 2006, he assembled a backroom staff of motivated young professionals to work with him, forging its future. .This young group of passionate professionals, with a mix of complementary talents work together closely to preserve Taittinger’s heritage and are the guardians of its quality, image and future.
Multiple skills ...
Vitalie Taittinger joined her father in 2007, when he repurchased the Taittinger Champagne House. Vitalie was convinced about the need to work alongside him, sustaining the strong family spirit behind the Champagne House.
According to Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger: “Having our family name on a bottle places demands and responsibilities on every minute. The name on the bottle conveys both the skills and knowledge of the past and a commitment to the future”. And he has embodied this commitment for 40 years.
At the request of his father, Clovis Taittinger became part of the team which Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger built around him in 2007. Since 2011, Clovis Taittinger oversees the international development of Taittinger champagne.
Damien le Sueur joined the business as Supply Manager in January 2007, following the repurchase of the Taittinger Champagne House by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.
Maxime is another key figure at the Taittinger Champagne House and oversees the management of sales in Europe. He arrived at Taittinger in 2003 as an Executive Assistant and quickly moved up the ranks to become Deputy Commercial Manager and then Commercial Manager for the French market.
Christelle joined Taittinger in September 2015 during harvest, after 10 years of experience in the technical services at the CIVC in
consulting with Champagne Houses and winegrowers, then 15 years in the vineyard department of another Champagne House.
It is in April 2015 that Alexandre Ponnavoy joined the House Taittinger to assist the cellar chief Loïc Dupont.
Capucine joined Taittinger in 2007 taking charge of Human Resources and Legal and Administrative Affairs. This is a vital post where she primarily works at fostering the family spirit at all levels within the business.
For two years she worked as a consultant, before being brought in to oversee the marketing department. She was then given the position of Marketing Development Director, before assuming the role of Artistic Director. Then, she was in charge of Marketing and Communications before becoming last 1st of January President of Taittinger. Aged 40, she will undertake her new responsibilities with the support of Damien le Sueur (General Manager) and her brother Clovis Taittinger (who will be promoted to General Manager), the current Management Committee and all House employees.
She has been both an inspiration and an ambassador of the brand for more than 12 years, and plays a direct role in representing the Champagne House in France and abroad.
Vitalie Taittinger was born in Reims in 1979. She graduated from the ‘Emile Cohl School of Design’ in Lyon in 2001, where she trained in illustration and graphic art techniques. After she completed her studies, she co-authored a book on Alfred Courmes (an early 20th century painter) published by Editions du Cherche-Midi.
A determined connoisseur, hedonist and humanist, Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger, in 2006, successfully bought back the Champagne House founded by his grandfather from the Starwood Group which had purchased it the year before. Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger is a fervent ambassador for the Champagne region, its history and its global influence. He is not interested in accolades or power. “We cultivate vines, not egos at Taittinger”, he often says. A love of the mountains (he refers to his Chamonix home as his “oasis of peace”), Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger is nonetheless a tireless traveller. He is curious about everything and everyone; always enthusiastic about the world around him. Naturally, it is in France where this staunchly patriotic businessman particularly loves to explore and make a difference to the lives of those around him.
Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger was born in 1953 and studied at the ‘Centre de Formation aux Affaires’ (CFA) in Reims, and at the Centre de Perfectionnement aux Affaires (CPA) in Paris. He has been President of Taittinger Champagne House since 2006, and is also the Chairman of both Domaine Carneros in California and Domaine Evremond in the UK. He is also the President of the ‘Association Viticole Champenoise’ (AVC), as well as being the President of ‘La Mission Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne’ -which is a branch organisation of UNESCO World Heritage.
Nearly 75% of all sales happen abroad. He is a genuine ambassador for the brand and tirelessly works to form partnerships with countries such as India and China, helping to create those ‘Taittinger Moments’ with people, even thousands of miles away from France. His thorough knowledge about the tastes and cultures of international clients is a real key to success for the brand, particularly when preparing champagnes for international award panels. Clovis Taittinger is keen to discover new partnerships linking the brand with the world of art, theatre and sport. He is responsible for the ties between the Champagne House and the FIFA World Cup, for which Taittinger has been the official champagne since 2014.
Born in 1978, the eldest of Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger’s children, Clovis is today a driving force at the heart of the family business.. He graduated from Edhec Business School and has a degree in History from Sorbonne University, Paris. He worked for several years in banking and auditing, as well as in property and the hotel trade before joining his father.
A year later, he took over the management of the oenology and production department at Taittinger. At the end of 2009, he became Deputy Managing Director and was then named as Managing Director for the Taittinger Champagne House on the 1st July 2015. He is also the Administrator of both Domaine Carneros in California and Domaine Evremond in the UK. He is blessed with a thorough knowledge of Champagne and is an essential part of the team, driving the Taittinger venture forward.
Damien le Sueur was born in April 1975 in Neuilly sur Seine and grew up in the Parisian region. He left Paris to study Agricultural Engineering in Montpellier. He graduated from Montpellier SupAgro in 2000. In 2001, he obtained a degree in Oenology and became part of the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne). He has recently completed a master’s degree in Business Administration at the IAE, Paris (Université Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne).
He leads the commercial network in France, which comprises of nearly 85 sales representatives of several businesses. He is also in charge of some export markets (Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Maghreb, the Indian Ocean and the French Overseas Departments).
Maxime Andriveau was born in Reims in July 1976 and has a degree in Biochemistry and graduated from IFAG management school in Paris. He began his professional career in 2001 with LeasePlan as a financial controller, before joining Taittinger in 2003.
Christelle joined Taittinger in September 2015, after 10 years of experience in the technical services at the CIVC in consulting with Champagne Houses and winegrowers, then 15 years in the vineyard department of another Champagne House.
She joined the company first as an assistant to the Vineyard Department, and was particularly involved in the Sustainable Viticulture certification in Champagne and the HVE (High Environmental Value) certification of the Taittinger vineyard obtained in 2017. Then in 2020, Christelle Rinville was appointed Director of the Taittinger vineyards and manages the exploitation of the 288 hectares
of vines by providing them with the most attentive care, respecting tradition and nature. She is also in charge of the organization and technical monitoring of the Domaine Evremond vineyards in Chilham (Kent).
Christelle Rinville was born in 1966, sustainable development structures all of her professional activity and her daily choices; she is very attached to committed but fair communication.
To support each of the employees in feeling at ease within the business and partly responsible for its success. She also draws on her previous experience as a lawyer to help implement various regulations which has become very technical work.
Born in 1975, Capucine studied law, before becoming a lawyer at the Paris Bar, where she practised for several years. Despite having no specific experience in business, she was recruited in 2007 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, citing her human qualities, her work ethic and interesting background.
This role was attributed to him as a result of a slow recruitment process. The stakes are high, he has the mission to learn alongside Loïc what makes the signature of the Taittinger wines, their specificity, for one day to be able to succeed him. If in some Houses, the head of Cellar is a public character, at Taittinger the custom wants that, like a monk, he watches day after day to the success of the cuvées.
Loïc Dupont and Alexandre Ponnavoy have shared together for over three years the vision of the Taittinger House. The time required for Alexandre to immerse himself in the character and soul of the cuvées. Alexandre will carry on the long-term qualitative perspective of this position. He will ensure the consistency, balance and finesse of our wines and will undoubtedly reflect on the creation of future vintages. Thanks to the his remarkable work and values, Alexandre has been able to conquer the confidence of the entire Champagne Taittinger team.
Born in 1979 in the region of Dijon, he decided to come to Reims following his MA in Agronomy at the Jules Guyot Institute (University of Burgundy) and ENITA Dijon. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Oenology-Champagne Wines majoring in Quality, Marketing, Legislation and Management. Taking advantage of his educational background he joined a Champagne House in Reims, for which he went to vinify wines in California. From 2007 to 2015, he worked at the Champagne Technological Station as a consulting oenologist. He advised more than 150 wine estates, merchants and cooperators in Champagne (but also in the rest of France and abroad) and accompanied them through the development and marketing of their sparkling wines.
