L’Oréal has appointed Barbara Lavernos as president research, innovation and technologies as of February 1, 2021. Lavernos, who was previously EVP, chief technologies & operations officer, succeeds Laurent Attal, who will retire at the beginning of February after 34 years with the Group.
 
Under Attal’s leadership, the L’Oréal Research Division made progress, as much in promising scientific fields (the exposome, microbiome, regenerative cosmetics, etc.) as in the field of sustainable innovation, in particular through the development of Green Sciences.
 
About Lavernos
 
Lavernos joined the Group in 1991 where she has pursued a rich and diverse career. She became director of the Rambouillet plant in 2000 and was appointed global chief procurement officer in 2004. She was entrusted with the general management of travel retail for the Luxury Division in 2012, and for the entire Travel Retail department in 2013. In 2014, Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of L’Oréal, appointed her chief operations officer and a member of the Group’s Executive Committee.
 
She led a transformation and modernization, embarking all parts of the business on a digital transformation and redesigned the supply chain to increase flexibility and agility to respond to channel shifts, in particular the explosion of e-commerce. At the end of 2018, Jean-Paul Agon also asked her to lead the “IT revolution”, with the ambition to become the world champion of “Beauty Tech.”
 
“I have total confidence that Barbara Lavernos will apply again her great leadership skills and extraordinary energy to this new challenge, which is crucial for the future of L’Oréal. I am convinced that the combination of R&I and Technology will enable us to invent the Beauty of the future: a Beauty which relies on R&I – at the historic heart of our model based on science and innovation, now allied with new opportunities offered by technology,” stated Agon.
 
In other news, Agon’s successor will be named this fall. Nicolas Hieronimus is expected to be “first in line” to win the position.