Born and raised in France in the region of Strasbourg, Francois Schweitzer began his career in Paris after graduating from the ‘Ecole d’Art et de Communication de Paris’ with a Master’s degree in Cultural Management and Communication.

He started working as Network Manager in Chantal Thomass in 1993. He joined the Chalhoub Group, a leading distributor and retailer of luxury brands in the Middle East, in 1998, as a commercial executive. In 2004, he integrated the fashion development division as senior division manager and has contributed to the recruitment of twelve major luxury brands for the Group, such as Berluti, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Tartine & Chocolat, Paul & Joe, Dsquared², Ermenegildo Zegna, Christian Louboutin, Carolina Herrera and Mulberry.

Francois built a sizable business, which now tops in retail turnover in the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon.

Over the years, Francois has built a strong knowledge of the Middle East fashion behavior which led to the creation of an integrated fashion buying structure for the Chalhoub Group, also servicing the joint venture when expertise is needed.

After his position as General Manager for Fashion Retail, François Schweitzer is now the General Manager of the Retail Development division for the Group and is contributing to successfully map, launch and develop brands throughout the Middle East region.