Bonhams has hired Chabi Nouri, a luxury-industry veteran, to be its next global CEO. The Swiss-born Nouri, who will be based in London at the auction house’s New Bond Street headquarters, will start in October.

Nouri’s expertise is in international luxury and retail, and has served as CEO of the jewelry and watch company Piaget. Following seven years there, she was a private equity partner at the Mirbaud Group. She began her career at Cartier, where she held several positions after graduating from Fribourg University in Switzerland.

This past February, Bonhams announced that CEO Bruno Vinciguerra was stepping down after more than five years in the role.  At the time, Kristian Hoejsgaard, the auction house’s executive chair, who joined its board in 2020, took the helm on an interim basis.

Chabi Nouri has been named global CEO at Bonhams. Image courtesy Bonhams

Bonhams, one of the four original Georgian London auction houses, was founded in 1793. In recent years, following its acquisition by the U.K.-based private equity firm Epiris, it has pursued a growth strategy by acquiring smaller regional auction houses, including Bukowskis in Stockholm, Bruun Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Skinner in Boston, and Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris. The house now has 14 salesrooms around the globe, and sells in more than 60 categories.

The entire Bonhams auction network reported $1.14 billion in turnover in 2023, the highest-ever figure in the company’s history. Its top-selling lot was a 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta, which went for $30 million at the Quail Auction in Carmel, California.

A 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta, Chassis no.0854, sold for $30 million at The Quail Auction, Carmel, Quail Lodge & Golf club, August 18, 2023.
Image courtesy Bonhams

In a statement, Nouri touted Bonhams’s “long heritage, rich history, and strong values as an auction house, as well as a reputation as an innovator.”

Hoejsgaard, the house’s chairman, said that Nouri is “a perfect fit for the company.”