Armani Beauty
Armani Beauty announced the appointment of MUA Hiromi Ueda as the Global Makeup Artistist, succeeding Linda Cantello, who served for 15 years.
MUA Hiromi Ueda, born in Osaka, has over 20 years of experience as a professional makeup artist. She has been involved in numerous fashion magazine shoots and backstage makeup for fashion shows, with her works appearing in renowned fashion publications like i-D, Dazed, and Vogue worldwide. Previously, MUA Hiromi Ueda had collaborated with the Armani Beauty team, serving as a guest makeup artist at recent Armani Privé shows, as well as Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani ready-to-wear shows.
MUA Hiromi Ueda
Recently, Armani Beauty has been expanding its brand influence with new faces, such as appointing Sadie Sink from the popular series “Stranger Things” as the ambassador for their Sì Eau de Parfum Intense fragrance campaign and nominating Sydney Sweeney from “Euphoria” as the spokesperson for their My Way perfume series.
Under Armour
On January 12, Under Armour announced that industry veteran Yassine Saidi will take over the product department as the Chief Product Officer, effective from January 29, succeeding Lisa Collier who left the company last August amid a series of leadership changes.
Furthermore, Kara Trent, currently the Managing Director for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Under Armour, will replace David Baxter as the President of the Americas, who is set to depart on February 16.
Once in their roles, both Yassine Saidi and Kara Trent will report directly to CEO Stephanie Linnartz. Since Linnartz’s appointment as CEO in February last year, Under Armour has been undergoing leadership reforms, steadily replacing most of its senior leaders, including Colin Browne, the Chief Operating Officer who will leave this fall and previously served as interim CEO.
Yassine Saidi
Before his appointment, Yassine Saidi worked at Agency Y, a design and technology consulting firm he founded in 2018. He also had about 17 years of experience at sports apparel brands like adidas and puma. Saidi’s addition reflects Under Armour’s ongoing evolution in product strategy over the past year, emphasizing athleisure products over performance-focused ones. In September 2023, Under Armour appointed John Varvatos as its Chief Design Officer and hired new designers to improve footwear, women’s apparel, and athletic styles.
Kara Trent
Regarding Kara Trent’s appointment, Under Armour stated that she brings eight years of senior experience and has driven double-digit revenue growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, establishing a performance culture focused on accountability, consistency, and execution. She also improved the brand’s overseas influence with effective product segmentation and marketing strategies.
The role of leader for the American market has been challenging for Under Armour, with several executives attempting to fill it in recent years. David Baxter, currently holding the position for less than a year and a half, will leave next month, and his predecessor Stephanie Pugliese departed after about three years.
In the recent quarter, Under Armour’s revenue in North America fell by 2% to $991 million. The North American market is Under Armour’s largest, accounting for 63% of its second-quarter revenue. For the fiscal year ending March 2022, Under Armour’s revenue in North America decreased by 0.6%.
Gap Inc.
On January 12, American casual wear giant Gap Inc. announced the appointment of Eric Chan as Chief Business and Strategy Officer, effective this week. Additionally, Gap Inc. also announced that Amy Thompson will succeed Sheila Peters as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective from January 22. Both executives will join Gap Inc.’s executive leadership team and report to Gap Inc. President and CEO Richard Dickson.
Eric Chan
Eric Chan has over 20 years of financial and operational leadership experience in a range of Fortune 500 companies and startups. His most recent role was as the Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball club, where he had a strong track record in scaling, creativity, and entrepreneurial business strategies, financial goals, and organizational objectives. Previously, Eric Chan was the Chief Operating Officer at The Bouqs Company and the Chief Financial Officer at Loot Crate, helping the latter grow from a startup to a company with $165 million in annual revenue.
Amy Thompson
Amy Thompson, as Chief Human Resources Officer, brings 25 years of leadership experience in world-class companies, iconic brands, and scaled retail business cultural transformations. Her most recent role was as the Chief People Officer at Mattel, and she previously served as the Chief People Officer at TOMS and held HR leadership roles at Starbucks and Ticketmaster. During her time at Mattel, Amy Thompson successfully implemented initiatives to elevate the company’s mission, purpose, and values while supporting a comprehensive business transformation with improved operational models, talent strategies, and enhanced performance incentive programs.
Orveon Global
Starting January 18, Neela Montgomery will officially succeed Pascal Houdayer, who resigned in November 2023, as the new CEO of Orveon Global, the owner of Laura Mercier and Bare Minerals, and will also join Orveon’s board of directors.
Orveon was created by private equity firm Advent International in December 2021. At that time, the company had just acquired the cosmetic brands Bare Minerals, Laura Mercier, and Buxom from Shiseido Group. In her new role, Neela Montgomery will continue to develop the brands and products under Orveon and accelerate business growth.
Montgomery is an experienced manager, having served as CEO of furniture retail company Crate & Barrel for five years and held senior leadership roles at CVS Health and British supermarket giant Tesco.
Neela Montgomery
The Body Shop
Following the completion of the brand’s sale, Ian Bickley, the interim CEO of British vegan beauty brand The Body Shop, announced his departure from the company, handing over leadership to the buyer, European investment firm Aurelius Group. The Body Shop added that a new CEO will be appointed “in due course.”
In September 2023, Brazilian beauty giant Natura & Co decided to sell its beauty brand The Body Shop. Two months later, The Body Shop brand was sold to Aurelius Group for £207 million.
This price is reportedly only a fifth of what Natura & Co paid to acquire The Body Shop in 2017. Previously, The Body Shop had suffered losses for six consecutive quarters. In 2023, Natura & Co tried to reduce The Body Shop’s leadership team by 25% and cut the total number of employees by 12% to limit its impact on profitability.
As a member of the board of directors of the former owner Natura & Co, Ian Bickley took office in April 2023, tasked with stabilizing the troubled situation at The Body Shop.
Ian Bickley
In a statement, The Body Shop said that the current focus of the leadership team would be to separate the brand from Natura & Co and continue the transformation outlined last year. The team will delve into all aspects of the business, forming a strong long-term strategy supported by the right structure and operational model.
Câllas
On January 12, Italian fashion brand Câllas announced the appointment of Derek Lam as Creative Director. Lam is set to launch his first capsule collection for Câllas for the Fall 2024 season, which will debut during the New York Fashion Week in February.
56-year-old Derek Lam was born in San Francisco and graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1990. In the 90s, he joined Michael Kors as an assistant. After four years of collaboration, Lam moved to Hong Kong and later returned to New York to become the Vice President of Design for Michael Kors.
In 2003, Derek Lam launched his eponymous brand and debuted at New York Fashion Week that same year with his Spring/Summer 2004 collection. Soon after launching his own brand, he became the Creative Director of footwear and handbags for Tod’s in 2005 until 2010.
In 2019, Derek Lam closed his personal brand’s collection business to focus on the American fashion brand 10 Crosby. In 2020, 10 Crosby was acquired by Public Clothing Company, with Lam continuing to run the brand until its closure in 2023.
Derek Lam
Câllas was launched in 2020 by Derek Lam’s partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann and Marco Panzeri, CEO of Italian fashion brand Cieffe. It is a vertically integrated brand focusing on a direct-to-consumer business model, creating luxurious clothing for women known for high-quality and modern Italian style. The brand retails through luxury department stores like Neiman Marcus, Elyse Walker, Ikram, and The Conservatory.
| Source: Brand official websites and Instagram, personal LinkedIn profiles of executives, Cosmetics Business, Retail Gazette, Retail Dive, Fashion Network
| Image Credit: Brand official websites and Instagram, personal LinkedIn profiles of executives
| Editor: Jun Liu
