GENEVA.- Phillips announced the appointment of Benoît Repellin as Head of Jewellery, Europe, marking an important milestone in the development of the company’s rapidly expanding jewellery department. Mr. Repellin will join Phillips on 1 February 2022 and will be based in Geneva.

With 10 years of experience and having worked extensively within the European market, Mr. Repellin brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will support and enhance Phillips’ Jewellery Department worldwide. In his new role, Mr. Repellin will work to establish a strong presence for Phillips Jewels in Europe. He will travel extensively, working closely with the team in New York, London, Hong Kong and Geneva.

“We are delighted that Benoît will be joining Phillips at a time when we are expanding rapidly across the globe,” said Graeme Thompson, Worldwide Head of Jewellery, Phillips. “Europe remains an extremely important market for sourcing and selling jewels, and I believe Benoît has the expertise, network and creativity to help us reach the next level of development in this category. There is tremendous opportunity to build a highly competitive jewellery business with a modern sensibility in today’s auction market, and Benoît’s appointment marks the next step for Phillips in achieving this.”

Mr. Repellin joins Phillips from Sotheby’s, where he was most recently Director and Head of Magnificent Jewels sales. During his nine-year tenure, he focused on business getting for the European and worldwide jewellery sales, winning high profile consignments. As a seasoned Auctioneer, he conducted the jewellery auctions in Europe.

The development of the Jewellery Department is part of Phillips’ significant expansion of recent years, adding a complimentary category to the company’s fast-growing areas of focus in the 20th and 21st centuries. Phillips achieved a record annual total for global Jewellery auctions in 2021, posting a 75% increase from 2019. The company has held a number of successful auctions in Hong Kong and New York, under the supervision of Sara Thomeier, who joined Phillips earlier this year as Head of the Americas. Most recently, Phillips achieved a record year for Jewellery auctions in Asia, with the November sales in Hong Kong seeing significant growth season on season.