Blog
Luxury Meets Accessibility at Moet-Hennessy
July 30, 2025
On July 24 – just two days shy of the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I participated in a panel discussion at the HQ of Moet Hennessy USA in the magnificent 7 World trade Center.
The bubbly group called the event their Accessibility Awareness Day, and they seemed to mean it. MH USA CEO kicked off the afternoon by talking about his grandfather, a disabled World War II veteran who had been a mentor and role model, and whom he clearly revered. The panel was assembled by wine expert, ASL interpreter and MH manager Laura Unterstein and Arielle Pierre, a tireless MHUSA inclusion, diversity and equity leader (yes, LVMH proudly remains standing in this besieged space). I was joined on the panel by Alyssia J, a belonging and engagement executive at Hearst Magazines and Yann Bucaaille-Lanrezac, the founder of Café Joyeux, which has 30 cafes across France and just opened its first in the US, in Manhattan. Their staffs, he told us, are entirely neurodiverse.
The moderator, MH brand executive Claribel Almonte, asked us questions designed to help this global spirits behemoth understand how to meet disabled consumers where we are. Questions like why despite the large US population and purchasing power of people with disabilities, “this market is still largely invisible in premium brand strategies?” basically dared MH to do exactly that. Of course, ignoring disabled consumers isn’t confined to premium luxury brands of any product type.
It was gratifying that this leading company wants my money too and isn’t afraid to ask for it with intelligence. I, for one, am eager to see how they maintain attention on increasing accessibility after this promising start. I’ll also be watching to see what kinds of companies follow this leader.