Leadership changes have been announced for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.’s two largest markets—North America and the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Ireland—following Thia Breen’s decision to retire after a 40-year career. Breen, Group President, North America, will be succeeded by Chris Good, President, U.K. and Ireland. In turn, Good will be succeeded by 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 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.”
 
In 2009, Breen became the first executive to assume the role of President, North America, and she was later promoted to Group President in 2012. She 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.
 
Breen 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 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. She has been recognized for her transformative leadership qualities and her ability to cultivate high-performance teams, a hallmark of her career. Since 2015, Breen has also served as Chair of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC). She will continue to serve her current PCPC term through February 2018.
 
Chris Good has led the U.K. and Ireland business since 2012, and in 2014 he was promoted to President, U.K. and Ireland. He has been with Lauder 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 has led growth and profitability in one of Lauder’s fastest-growing affiliates as General Manager, Canada. Previously, he 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. He has been with the company for more than 10 years. A successor for his role will be announced at a later date.

PHOTOS

Shown above, L-R: Philippe Warnery, Thia Breen, Chris Good