Sotheby’s, the second-largest auction house, said it hired Guillaume Cerutti to head its business in France, where it has lagged behind No.1-ranked Christie’s International for at least four years.

Cerutti was formerly with the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, where he headed the Department of Consumer and Competitive Affairs, and was managing director of the Pompidou Center from 1996 to 2001, Sotheby’s said in a statement yesterday. He replaces Philipp Wurttemberg, who took the title of Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe earlier this year, working on business development in the region.

Posted: 08|30|07 at 9:27 am. Filed under: UK News.