About this template
The Bordeaux template is an executive cover letter set in Garamond, with Trajan small-caps titles, a deep burgundy palette on warm cream stock and a single thin gold rule beneath the name. No icons, no second colour — seniority rests on restraint. Compatible with the ATS pipelines (Workday, SuccessFactors, Cornerstone) used by LVMH, Richemont, Marriott Luxury Collection, Rothschild & Co and single-family offices in Monaco, Geneva and Greenwich.
Who is it for?
It suits senior executives applying to C-suite roles, non-executive board seats and partner-track nominations. CEOs of luxury houses, board chairs, senior family-office advisers, independent directors — every profile for whom the letter must read as a considered choice rather than a sales pitch. Out of place in tech-stage hiring, public service applications or mass-funnel ATS pipelines.
How to use it
The four paragraphs — hook, patrimonial proof, strategic contribution, request for a meeting — follow the Anglo-American senior-correspondence cadence: confirmation, not selling. The subject line stays dry ("Application for the Independent Director seat"). The gold rule beneath the name is the only ornament allowed: any added colour tips the register into marketing. A scanned handwritten signature is preferred over a typewritten paraph.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an executive cover letter be?
Strictly one page. The Bordeaux register loses credibility on a second page — the effect rests on concision. To detail a senior career, attach a separate executive CV and keep the letter on a single A4 or Letter sheet.
Does it parse through Workday at LVMH or Richemont?
Yes. Garamond is embedded in the PDF with Adobe Garamond Pro fallback, and the burgundy header band is rendered as an image overlay. The text layer is extracted intact by Workday (LVMH, Kering corporate) and SuccessFactors (Hermès, Chanel corporate).
Is it suitable for Rothschild or Lazard applications?
Yes for senior advisory, M&A partner and family-office mandates. For trading or capital-markets roles where the expected sobriety is more austere, choose letter-exec-platinum or letter-exec-private-bank, which strip the warmth out of the burgundy palette.
