Late last month, The Value exclusively reported the departure of Francis Belin, President of Christie’s Asia-Pacific. Since then, the industry has been abuzz with speculation over who will succeed him – and whether the appointment would come through internal promotion or external recruitment.
Now, The Value has learned from reliable sources that the successor is a current senior executive at Christie’s, who will be relocated from either the Europe or America office to Hong Kong.
Following Francis Belin’s (right) resignation from his current role, Christie’s Asia-Pacific operations will be jointly led by Kevin Ching (left) and Audrey Shum
When it comes to leadership roles at auction houses – whether regional or global – both internal promotions and external hires are common.
A recent example of external recruitment is Chabi Nouri, who previously served as Jewellery Group Manager at Cartier, then CEO of Piaget, and later as a partner of the Swiss private bank Mirabaud Group. In 2023, she joined Bonhams and was appointed Global CEO.
Another case is Julia Hu, currently Managing Director of Bonhams Asia. She began her career at IBM and McKinsey & Co., entered the auction world in 2012, and spent nine years at Christie’s, rising to General Manager China. She left in 2021 and joined Bonhams the following year.
Also notable is Kevin Ching, currently Chairman of Christie’s Asia. A lawyer by training, Ching was a partner at Johnson Stokes & Master and Executive Director at Dickson Concepts before joining Sotheby’s in 2006 as CEO of Asia.
Francois Curiel
As for internal promotions, a classic example is François Curiel, a legendary figure at Christie’s who has played a central role in the auction house’s international growth over the past five decades. In recognition of his contributions to the jewellery and auction industries, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French government.
Curiel joined Christie’s in 1969 as a jewellery specialist. He later became Global Head of Jewellery and oversaw numerous landmark sales – including the celebrated Elizabeth Taylor Collection. He also founded Christie’s New York Jewellery department, which remains one of the most prominent categories today.
Beyond his jewellery expertise, Curiel also held major leadership roles within the auction house. After overseeing European operations from 1989 to 2009, he was transferred to Hong Kong in 2010 – a pivotal moment during the rise of Mainland China’s art market – to serve as President of Asia-Pacific. The role was later succeeded by Rebecca Wei, and in 2019, by Francis Belin.