If 2025 was a year of recalibration for beauty and retail, it was also a year of churn at the top. Across global groups, prestige retailers and challenger brands alike, leadership change became a defining feature of the landscape—driven by shifting consumer demand, intensifying competition, activist pressure and the need to execute transformation faster. The result was an executive cycle that reshaped boardrooms as much as brand strategies.
No company illustrated the scale and pace of transition more clearly than L’Oréal. The group refreshed leadership across key divisions and regions, naming Christina Fair as President of Consumer Products North America following Nathalie Gerschtein’s departure, appointing Damien Favre to lead Dermatological Beauty in the zone, and elevating Ali Goldstein as President of Acquisitions as it sharpened its dealmaking focus. It also created a new C-suite role—Chief Innovation & Prospective Officer—for Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, signalling that long-term strategy and innovation governance are now considered central to future advantage. The retirement of Carol Hamilton after 40 years further underscored the end of an era, while the reshaping of the Executive Committee for 2026 pointed to a group positioning itself for the next cycle of growth across consumer products, travel retail and emerging opportunity zones.
Retail leadership proved similarly fluid. Sephora shifted its leadership architecture, naming Catherine Spindler as President for Europe and the Middle East, while CEO Guillaume Motte moved to directly oversee Greater China amid heightened competition. Ulta Beauty entered a period of high-profile restructuring under CEO Kecia Steelman, with CMO Michelle Crossan-Matos departing and finance leadership shifting to interim CFO Chris Lialios as the retailer balanced expansion ambitions—Mexico entry, 200 additional store openings—and a renewed focus on wellness and exclusivity. In the UK, Boots lost CMO Pete Markey after a pivotal period repositioning the chain around loyalty and value, and later strengthened its customer and marketing bench by appointing former John Lewis executive Charlotte Lock.
Boardrooms, too, became battlegrounds for influence and accountability. Kenvue ended its proxy battle with Starboard Value by adding three new board members, including Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith, in a move designed to address concerns over underperforming beauty and skin care categories. Procter & Gamble brought in Craig Arnold, former Eaton CEO, to its board, while Levi Strauss & Co. added Artemis Patrick, CEO of Sephora North America—an appointment that highlighted how beauty retail expertise is increasingly valued across adjacent consumer sectors.
Leadership reshuffles also reflected broader strategic resets across beauty’s prestige and professional channels. Aesop prepared for a new era with longtime CEO Michael O’Keefe stepping down after 22 years, leaving the industry watching for L’Oréal’s succession decision. Shiseido saw significant transitions across its global structure: Ron Gee exited as President and CEO of the Americas region, Koji Nakata was named CEO for Japan from July 2025, and the company consolidated EMEA leadership under regional CEO Alberto Noé rather than appointing a successor to Chairman Franck Marilly. Byredo founder Ben Gorham confirmed his departure following Puig’s full acquisition, marking the close of a handover period that signalled a broader shift from founder-led identity to scaled global management.
Challenger and DTC brands matured into a new leadership phase. Victoria Beckham Beauty named Lauren Edelman CEO, elevating a marketing-led operator as the brand positioned for its next stage. Winky Lux appointed Lauren Bloomer as CEO, while Briogeo signalled a shift in operating structure as founder Nancy Twine stepped back from day-to-day CEO duties while remaining actively involved. Glossier confirmed CEO Kyle Leahy would step down by the end of 2025, then moved decisively to name Colin Walsh—formerly head of P&G’s specialty beauty division—as successor, reinforcing the wider trend of bringing experienced FMCG operators into founder-built, digitally native businesses.
The year also revealed how governance and leadership increasingly intersect with transformation priorities. Unilever announced the departure of CEO Hein Schumacher, confirmed Srinivas Phatak as CFO after an interim period, expanded Leandro Barreto’s remit in global marketing leadership and added Zoe Yujnovich as a non-executive director—moves that collectively suggested a company tightening execution and oversight as it prepares for the next phase of portfolio and operating model change. Elsewhere, Coty promoted Björn Strumann to EVP for Europe, while its wider leadership architecture continued to evolve, including a planned chair transition as JAB prepared an overhaul.
In parallel, leadership moves increasingly reflected expansion ambitions and new category bets. Bath & Body Works appointed Daniel Heaf as CEO to drive international growth and sharpen fragrance-led innovation. Gap Inc. installed a dedicated leadership team for its beauty push, anchored by an Old Navy beauty launch and a planned Gap Beauty rollout in 2026. Skims appointed Ami Colé founder Diarrha N’Diaye as EVP of Beauty and Fragrance, reinforcing the brand’s intent to move deeper into cosmetics and scent.
Taken together, 2025 made it clear that executive change in beauty is no longer episodic—it is structural. As brands navigate slower growth in mature markets, heightened investor scrutiny and rapid shifts in digital commerce, leadership benches are being rebuilt for speed, specialisation and accountability. In a market where strategy is increasingly defined by execution, the people in charge became one of the year’s most important signals of where beauty goes next.
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