board spotlight: Gena Smith
Gena Smith -
Chief Human Resources Officer, LVMH
North America
Gena Smith is the Chief Human Resource Officer for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton North America. A highly experienced human resources executive, Gena ensures that LVMH is best in class at selecting, developing, and retaining senior executive and creative talent. During her tenure with LVMH she has helped to further develop talent at all levels of the organization, including through attracting accomplished senior-level executives, instituting learning and development programs to prepare executives to meet business needs, and promoting mobility for high performing executives across the LVMH brands.
Prior to joining LVMH in September 2011, Gena was Global Managing Director at Karen Harvey Consulting, where she led the luxury & retail executive recruitment practice worldwide. She previously spent 10 years as an executive search consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates and Ray & Berndtson, working with many leading retail, luxury and consumer brands. Her earlier experience included several years in International Education.
Gena found her passion for people-centered work early on in her career, while interacting with many cultures and traveling internationally. She quickly became invested in learning how to leverage the role of human resources to create a unique and competitive talent experience. Throughout the years, Gena has identified critical opportunities to bridge her love of fashion, luxury and retail with her commitment to building a talent pipeline that supports and elevates exceptional work.
At LVMH, Gena’s commitment to talent is evident: from initiating the first ever Diversity & Inclusion program for LVMH across North America in 2012, to leading executive and creative recruiting for LVMH globally. In her twelve years within the Group, she has led many initiatives across all domains of Human Resources, including learning & development, Corporate Social Responsibility and all aspects of talent management, to support the LVMH talents in driving the business forward while realizing their career aspirations. Gena is passionate about LVMH’s core principle that People Make the Difference – she always acknowledges she is fortunate to witness the impact of this every day in her role.
Gena’s work over the past decade has aimed to create a diverse and empowered network of talent from creative to more corporate roles within LVMH. LVMH and its Maisons encourage their talents to foster a mindset of excellence and innovation, letting their passion and entrepreneurial spirit thrive toward the exceptional. For those with an interest in the luxury industry, Gena recommends to both find and seize experiences and opportunities presented, and constantly seek out ways to elevate yourself and those around you. She believes those experiences will culminate in a dynamic career defined by innovation, creativity and leadership.
Gena is a member of the Advisory Board for Tiffany & Co., and a Board of Director for Gabriela Hearst. She is also on the Board of Governors for Parsons School of Design and a proud new Board of Governors member of the Fashion Scholarship Fund. Gena holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business. She also studied French, Greek and Mandarin.
She currently resides in New York City with her husband Carlton Smith and two children, Madeline and Gage.