Thia Breen, Group President, announces plans to retire after a
40-year career.
Chris Good to succeed Thia Breen in the role of President, North
America.
Philippe Warnery to lead the United Kingdom and Ireland business.
NEW YORK, NY, April 11, 2017 --(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) announced today leadership
appointments for its two largest markets, North America and the United
Kingdom (U.K.) and Ireland. After an extraordinary career, Thia Breen,
Group President, North America, has made the decision to retire. Chris
Good, President, U.K. and Ireland, has been named her successor in the
role of President, North America. Succeeding Mr. Good is Philippe
Warnery, current General Manager, Canada, who has been appointed Senior
Vice President and General Manager, U.K. and Ireland. These changes are
effective July 1, 2017.
“Thia’s outstanding professional achievements and her impressive career
trajectory from Clinique Account Executive to Group President will
continue to inspire all of us to push the boundaries of leadership
growth,” said Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Today’s announcement reflects the Company’s thoughtful succession
planning philosophy, which is grounded in a passion for the growth and
development of our people to reach their highest potential. Chris and
Philippe will leverage their best-in-class leadership in go-to-market
strategies, including digital innovation, as well as their operational
expertise, to fuel sustainable and profitable growth in our two largest
markets.”
“Thia is an exceptional leader and visionary, as well as a strong role
model and mentor to leaders, particularly women leaders, in the
business. Her signature leadership across our brands and in North
America has made an indelible mark on our company,” said William P.
Lauder, Executive Chairman. “As we congratulate Thia and reflect on her
incredible career, we are also thrilled to welcome Chris and Philippe
into their respective new roles to continue leading growth in North
America and the U.K. and Ireland.”
Thia Breen, Group President, North America, to retire
After a distinguished 40-year career, Thia Breen, Group President of
North America, has announced plans to retire. In 2009, Ms. Breen became
the first executive to assume the role of President, North America, and
she was later promoted to Group President in 2012. Ms. Breen implemented
influential retail strategies, laid a foundation of operational
discipline and created numerous strategic capabilities to diversify and
strengthen the Company’s portfolio success in North America. She helped
establish the organizational structure for the Canada business in 2011,
fueling competitive advantage in the market’s prestige beauty industry.
In 2016, she helped realign the U.S. business organization to enable
brands to execute strategies with greater speed and focus. She has built
on the Company’s leadership in traditional retail by spearheading
expansion into high-growth channels such as specialty-multi and
freestanding stores in North America. Previously Ms. Breen was President
of the Americas for the Estée Lauder brand. In 2007, she was promoted to
Global Brand President, Estée Lauder, a role in which she helped ignite
the brand’s business acceleration in Asia. She has also held numerous
leadership positions spanning many of the Company’s other brands
including Clinique, Aramis and Origins. Ms. Breen has been recognized
for her transformative leadership qualities and her ability to cultivate
high-performance teams, a hallmark of her career. Since 2015, Ms. Breen
has also served as Chair of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC),
the leading national trade organization for the cosmetics and personal
care products industry. She will continue to serve her current PCPC term
through February 2018.
Chris Good appointed President, North America
As President of the Company’s second largest market, the U.K. and
Ireland, Chris Good is the ideal leader to build on Thia Breen’s
outstanding leadership of North America. Mr. Good will bring to this new
role a robust expertise in channel strategy, local relevance and
consumer shopping preferences, as well as extensive global experience
from his multiple leadership roles overseeing European and Asian
markets. Mr. Good has led the U.K. and Ireland business since 2012, and
in 2014 he was promoted to President, U.K. and Ireland. Mr. Good has
pioneered the Company’s successful evolution from a traditional
department store model into a diversified omnichannel business, leading
in high-growth channels such as freestanding stores and e/m-commerce.
Under his leadership, since 2012, the U.K. and Ireland business has
generated consistent double-digit compound annual sales growth and has
also tripled online net sales in the same timeframe. Previously, he was
a key member of the leadership team for the Europe, Middle East, and
Africa region and served as General Manager, Russia. Mr. Good has been
with the Company for more than 15 years and is known for his strong
leadership skills in growing the business in both nascent and
established markets. As President, North America, Mr. Good will report
to Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer, and he will
continue to serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
Philippe Warnery appointed Senior Vice President and General
Manager, U.K. and Ireland
Since 2013, Philippe Warnery has led growth and profitability in one of
the Company’s fastest-growing affiliates as General Manager, Canada. Mr.
Warnery implemented a winning growth strategy in Canada, which was
centered on local relevancy, fostering key account relationships and
aligning the team for success through new retail formats, e/m-commerce
expansion and social media innovation. Canada is regarded as a top
market for prestige beauty, and today Canada’s online business is
flourishing as a leader in mobile innovation and hyper-targeted
influencer strategies. Mr. Warnery will further leverage his experience
when he is at the helm of the U.K. and Ireland. Previously, Mr. Warnery
was Vice President, General Manager, Origins, International. He is
credited with leading Origins’ expansion into new markets including
China and Mexico, and establishing strong retailer relationships in the
U.K. Mr. Warnery has been with the Company for more than 10 years and
his solid marketing skills underscore his deep knowledge of local
relevance, consumer engagement and channel strategy, making him uniquely
suited to expand the Company’s strong position in the U.K. and Ireland.
As Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mr. Warnery will report to
Cedric Prouvé, Group President, International, and he will also join the
Executive Leadership Team. A successor for his role will be announced at
a later date.
“Chris and Philippe have revolutionized the shopping experience for
consumers through best-in-class omnichannel capabilities, digital
expansion and local relevance,” said Cedric Prouvé, Group President,
International. “We thank Chris for his fantastic contributions to the
U.K. and Ireland market, which have established a strong platform for
Philippe to continue driving the business in his new role.”
About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading
manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and
hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 150
countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder,
Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger,
M·A·C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo
Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford,
Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Marni, Tory Burch, RODIN olio lusso,
Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA
and Too Faced.
ELC-C ELC-L
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The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
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or
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Source: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
