Chanel has a new president of perfume and beauty

The house of Chanel has appointed Simona Cattaneo as its new president of its perfume and beauty division.

Cattaneo will take over from Anne Kirby, who will retire at the end of 2024 after five years in the role.

She joins us from Tod’s Group, an Italian luxury fashion house specializing in footwear and apparel, where she served as CEO for three years.

Cattaneo also spent five years at Coty, where he served as president of luxury brands and chief marketing officer.

The new fragrance and beauty director, who will take up her new role in January 2025, has also held positions at L’Oréal, Burberry and Parfums Christian Dior.

“A seasoned global business leader, Simona brings more than 30 years of experience to the luxury beauty industry,” Chanel said in a statement.

“She has managed prestigious brands, built new businesses across a variety of product categories, and led major transformations in complex global organizations around the world.”

Cattaneo’s appointment follows Chanel’s recent management shake-up, which saw the departure of artistic director Virginie Viard.

Meanwhile, Fabrice Raoul was appointed managing director of Chanel.

Kirby’s departure ends a 35-year career at the luxury company.

During her tenure as president of Chanel, she managed to strengthen the perfume and cosmetics division.

Kirby was behind the October 2022 launch of Comètes Collective, an initiative to revitalize and diversify Chanel’s makeup division.

Chanel reported sales of almost $20 billion in 2023, with its fragrance and cosmetics division reporting “very strong growth” across all categories.