Updated Jan. 9 at 4:03 p.m. EST
L’Occitane Group, Biologique Recherche and Orveon have all named new chief executive officers this week.
L’Occitane Group has appointed Laurent Marteau to the position. Currently the beauty group’s managing director, he will also take up the CEO job, as a combined role, effective April 1.
Marteau succeeds André J. Hoffmann, who was acting as CEO and chose to step down from the position. He is to remain a L’Occitane Group executive director and member of the board, focusing on strategic, policy and leadership issues.
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L’Occitane said in a statement that the merging of the managing director and CEO positions “sustains the company’s transformation into a geographically balanced, multibrand group.”
Marteau is a seasoned beauty executive with more than 20 years of experience. He became group managing director at L’Occitane Group in 2022.
Prior to that, starting in 2014, he was at La Prairie Group as vice president for global travel retail and special channels, and a member of the board of directors, then became vice president for Europe, the Americas, Middle East and Africa. Marteau was also at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in senior positions for 15 years.
“As our group grows, we need to evolve,” Reinold Geiger, chairman of L’Occitane Group, said in a statement. “Laurent embodies the L’Occitane Group’s entrepreneurial mindset and deep commitment to people and nature. His in-depth knowledge of the global market, combined with an inclusive leadership style, makes him a strong CEO to bring together a multibrand and multicultural group delivering value for all our stakeholders.”
Hoffmann had been vice chairman of L’Occitane Group since 2016.
“In recent years he has led the company toward its strategic objectives, including its geographical expansion, and has been instrumental in the successful acquisition and integration of new brands such as Elemis, Sol de Janeiro and Grown Alchemist,” Geiger continued. “He will continue to play a significant role in the group, supporting its strategic direction as executive director and member of the board.”
Another European brand, Biologique Recherche, will have a new CEO, following 15 years of co-CEO and co-ownership shared by Pierre-Louis Delapalme and Rupert Schmid. During that time, the duo multiplied the professional skin care company’s sales by more than 20 times, according to a statement.
Jean-Guillaume Trottier will join Biologique Recherche in early January, then become its CEO at the start of May.
“We have decided that it is now time to hand over the leadership to write the next chapter of our Biologique Recherche success story,” Delapalme and Schmid said jointly. “We are exceedingly happy and proud that Jean-Guillaume, one of the most talented leaders in the beauty industry with an impressive track record, is going to drive the future of Biologique Recherche and enable the company to reach new heights.
“Jean-Guillaume boasts a rare combination of strong leadership skills, deep brand understanding, a passion for innovation and extensive international expertise,” they continued.
Trottier has decades of beauty experience. He worked for 19 years at the Estée Lauder Cos., most recently serving as global brand president Jo Malone London and Darphin Paris. Trottier also spent three years at L’Oréal.
After the CEO handover, Delpalme and Schmid will remain involved as co-owners and executive board members at Biologique Recherche.
There has also been a CEO appointment Stateside. Orveon, the Advent International-owned parent company of BareMinerals, Buxom and Laura Mercier, has named Neela Montgomery to the role, effective Jan. 18.
“I see immense opportunity to continue developing the platform’s capabilities, while nurturing the success of BareMinerals, Buxom and Laura Mercier to deliver an authentic, sustainable offering for consumers and retail partners alike,” Montgomery said in a statement.
The executive, who hails from CVS Health and has also held roles at Crate & Barrel Holdings, Otto Group and Tesco plc, succeeds Pascal Houdayer, who left Orveon late last year.
Prior to his departure, Houdayer told WWD that Orveon was looking into acquisitions, and was in “forward processes with a couple of brands, and some of them are to close their process by the end of [first-quarter] 2024,” with a focus on skin care. Whether Montgomery will continue that acquisition strategy remains to be seen.