Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies has announced the appointment of Aude Gandon as Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, effective August 1.
This is a newly created role at the company. Gandon will lead the transformation of the company’s digital, marketing, and media ecosystem. She will develop end-to-end strategies across the company’s extensive brand portfolio, overseeing precision marketing, creative operations, consumer and category insights, regional store design and visual merchandising, omnichannel media strategy, global consumer care, and digital commerce.
Before joining Estée Lauder, Gandon served as Global Chief Marketing Officer at Nestlé. She also held leadership roles at Google, including Global Managing Director of Platforms and Ecosystems, where she led integrated brand and creative strategies across five continents. Earlier in her career, she held senior positions at global advertising agencies such as Publicis Worldwide, McCann, and Leo Burnett.
In her new role, Gandon will report directly to Stéphane de La Faverie, President and CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies.
Santa Maria Novella
The historic Florentine fragrance brand Santa Maria Novella has appointed Ludivine Pont as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Giovanna Paoloni, who stepped down in January. The appointment will take effect in September.
Pont most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer of French luxury fashion house Balenciaga. She previously held the position of Marketing and Communications Director at Italian luxury brand Moncler. Earlier in her career, she was Head of Marketing and PR at German fashion brand PHILIPP PLEIN.
In 2022, Pont was named one of Forbes’ “Most Entrepreneurial Chief Marketing Officers” in the marketing field.
L’Oréal Group
L’Oréal Group‘s Indian subsidiary has announced a restructured management framework, underscoring the Group’s ambition to expand in one of the world’s most dynamic beauty markets.
Effective October 1, Jacques Lebel will succeed Aseem Kaushik as Country Manager for L’Oréal India, while Kaushik will be promoted to President of L’Oréal India.
Lebel previously served as General Manager of the Consumer Products Division at L’Oréal Mexico. Prior to joining L’Oréal, he held marketing and general management roles at Procter & Gamble and Belgian brewing group Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Kaushik is a long-time veteran of L’Oréal India, having joined the company in 1995. He has held leadership positions, including Sales Management for the Consumer Products Division, General Manager of the Consumer Products and Professional Products Divisions in India, and General Manager of the Professional Products Division for the Asia-Pacific region.
L’Oréal entered the Indian market in 1994. Today, 95% of the products it sells in India are manufactured locally, with annual production of around 500 million units, a significant portion of which is exported to Gulf countries.
Coty
Beauty group Coty has announced a series of executive appointments:
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Beatrice Ballini has been named Lead Independent Director, following the resignation of Johannes Huth from the Board.
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Jérôme Auvinet has been promoted to Chief Information, Digital Innovation, and Business Services Officer.
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Stéphane Delbos has been appointed Chief Performance and Operational Excellence Officer.
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Fatima Zahri will serve as Chief Procurement Officer.
Ballini joined Coty’s Board of Directors in 2019. In late 2023, she was appointed Operating Partner at private equity firm VAM Investments and became a board member of Italian luxury manufacturing group Gruppo Florence in September 2023. She previously spent 26 years at global leadership advisory and executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. Ballini holds an honors degree in Chemical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, a Master of Science from MIT, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Auvinet has been with Coty for 17 years, holding roles that include Global VP of IT for Finance, Corporate Functions, and Procurement, as well as Global SVP of IT for Marketing, Luxury, and the Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions, and Chief Information Officer. His earlier career includes strategic leadership roles at LVMH, where he was Strategy Project Director for its Perfumes and Cosmetics Division, Finance Director at Parfums Christian Dior, and Director of Supply Chain and Global Business Process Outsourcing at Moët Hennessy.
Delbos has been with Coty for 14 years, serving in roles such as Global Director of Procurement, Marketing, and Sales, and Chief Procurement Officer. Before Coty, he worked at American biopharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Zahri joined Coty in March 2023. Prior to that, she held roles at global healthcare company MSD (Merck & Co.), as well as Unilever and French food-products corporation Danone.
R.e.m. Beauty
Vegan beauty brand R.e.m. Beauty, founded by American singer Ariana Grande, has announced the appointment of André Branch as Chief Executive Officer.
Branch began his career at Deloitte and later worked nearly eight years at global spirits producer Diageo, holding leadership roles from Brand Director to Global VP of Marketing. In 2011, he joined L’Oréal Group, managing marketing and sales for brands such as Ralph Lauren Fragrances and Lancôme, and was later promoted to SVP of Digital and E-commerce Operations. In 2020, he joined Estée Lauder Companies as SVP and later served as SVP and General Manager for M.A.C in North America.
Branch also serves on the boards of Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry, and the Apollo Theater in New York. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Economics from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Yves Rocher
French beauty brand Yves Rocher has appointed Philippe Duchossois as Chief Executive Officer for the Asia region.
Duchossois has been with Yves Rocher for 14 years, holding senior leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer for Europe, CEO for Spain, and CEO for Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Prior to Yves Rocher, he served as Supply Chain and Finance Director at L’Oréal Group.
He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Paris IX University and a Master’s degree in Internal Audit from the University School of Management.
| Source: Official press release from Estée Lauder, FashionNetwork, GlobalCosmeticsNews, executives’ LinkedIn profiles
| Image Credit: LinkedIn profiles of executives, Estée Lauder official press release
| Editor: LeZhi
