(Photo credit: Rolex)
Delphine Desponds, who served as Deputy Director of Human Resources at Rolex headquarters, has departed the Geneva watchmaker after just nine years with the company, the latest sign that Rolex is reshaping its HR leadership. Her exit follows that of Carole Decosterd, the longtime head of human resources, who has stepped down recently after nearly three decades at the brand.
The exits come as Rolex prepares for one of Rolex's biggest workforce expansions. Its new manufacture, in Bulle, will require hiring 2,000 new employees, a 20% increase in staff. Desponds, who joined Rolex in 2016 from Baume & Mercier, where she was Human Resources Director, played a key role in preparing for this growth and ensuring HR systems could support an operation that already spans more than 150 métiers, from watchmaking and manufacturing to engineering, design, quality, logistics and IT.
It’s unclear how the new leadership team will reshape the brand, as human resources appears to be more than recruitment and employee relations at Rolex. The company is famous for its culture of discretion and excellence first instilled by Hans Wilsdorf. The new team will soon face a critical test in expanding the Rolex workforce without compromising quality.