Chris Penido, CTO at Louis Vuitton, on building trust through tech and elevating brand experiences

In this episode , Lucas Hendrich, CTO at Forte Group, sits down with Christopher Penido, CTO at Louis Vuitton, to explore how technology, security, and storytelling intersect in the world of luxury retail.

Christopher shares his personal journey from studying Romance languages to leading IT at one of the world’s most iconic fashion houses, and why, at the end of the day, it’s all about people.

They talk about building trust through security, how blockchain plays a role in storytelling, and the power of leading with empathy. Here's a recap of their conversation:

Co-creating innovation starts with people

“Even though the title says otherwise, it is less about technology and it is more about people.”

At Louis Vuitton, every tech leader is expected to think beyond systems and tools. For Christopher, innovation begins by listening to people, understanding their needs, motivations, and aspirations.

“It’s always about people first. And then being that interpreter to understand those things and doing something with it, in a small scale to a bigger scale.”

Security isn’t simply a department

“Security's not a person, it's not a CISO thing, it's a everybody thing.”

Christopher shares how security is woven into every part of the organization, from the contact center to logistics. It’s not just about technical controls, but about culture and shared responsibility.

“You want to protect it the same way you’d protect your own. And now everyone in our team is an ambassador in one way, shape, or form for security.”

Trust and storytelling: How blockchain fits into luxury

“People assign value to an object when they understand the story behind it.”

Louis Vuitton uses blockchain to capture the provenance of products, not just to track inventory, but to reinforce storytelling and trust.

“Knowing the provenance of supplies, materials, which artisan touched something; it’s embedded in the organization. That’s what gives legitimacy and reinstalls trust.”

Language is superpower

Christopher reflects on growing up in Queens, studying languages, and thinking his skills were “just a good party trick.” But they turned out to be the foundation of his leadership.

“When you speak someone else's language, you build a connection. And that connection is a springboard to the next best thing.”

Stay tuned for more conversations at the intersection of technology, product, and growth on CTO2CTO.