NEW YORK--(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.
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