Caroline Scheufele

Caroline Scheufele (born 14 December 1961) is a German-born Swiss businesswoman. She is the artistic director and co-president of Chopard, the Swiss-based luxury watches and jewellery manufacturer. She is the daughter of Karl and Karin Scheufele, German entrepreneurs who purchased the company in 1963. During the 1980s, Scheufele expanded the business into the jewelry sector.

In 1998, Scheufele redesigned the Palme d'Or for the Cannes Film Festival, and made Chopard an official event partner. Under her direction, the brand became one of the first to grow the market in sustainable luxury goods and ethical gold.

Caroline Scheufele was born in Pforzheim in Germany. Her parents managed the watchmaking company Eszeha, based in Pforzheim. In 1963, her father Karl acquired the Geneva-based watch manufacturer Chopard, and over the following years, the family traveled back and forth between Germany and Switzerland.

At the age of 12, Caroline moved to Switzerland in order to study at Geneva's International School along with her brother Karl-Friedrich.

She decided to join the family business immediately after obtaining her diploma, while enrolled in classes in Design and Gemmology. She completed a year of further training at Eszeha, spending time in each of the company departments, including export, packaging, after-sales service, and others while continuing to work in the Design Department. Back in Geneva, she joined her brother's office.

In 1985, she designed an articulated clown made of floating diamonds.

Her father put the piece into production. The clown was the first piece of jewelry made by Chopard and marked the company's launch into this sector. From that time onward, the company developed the jewelry side of its business, later expanding into fine jewelry.

In 1997, Chopard opened a boutique in Cannes. Caroline Scheufele wanted to link the boutique's opening to the festival. She headed to Paris to meet Pierre Viot, Director of the Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d'Or used to consist of a gold plated palm leaf resting on a Plexiglas pyramid. Its design had remained unchanged for 50 years. Pierre Viot invited her to redesign the award piece and she agreed. Scheufele redesigned the Palme d'Or for the Cannes Film Festival and made Chopard the official event partner from 1998 onwards. Since that time, the award has been manufactured within the company's workshops.