Chanel’s Changing of the Guard Continues, as Anne Kirby Prepares to Retire

PARIS – More changes are afoot in the top echelons of Chanel , with the planned departure of Anne Kirby, president of Chanel Fragrance and Beauty, at year-end.

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The executive, who has been with the luxury house for 35 years, will be retiring.

“Under her leadership, the Fragrance and Beauty business has achieved strong business performance, while reinforcing a culture of creation and innovation, particularly through the development of product offerings and distribution around the world,” Chanel said in a statement.

“All of these activities have strengthened Chanel’s brand equity and built further desirability among new and existing customers,” it continued. “In recent years, she has overseen building our authority in the fragrance market. In makeup, through the innovative Comètes Collective , she has driven creative potential in uniting different perspectives to generate fresh concepts.”

The Comètes Collective is a collective of makeup artists revealed in October 2022, starting with three, who are tasked with accelerating the creative momentum of the Chanel Makeup Creation Studio and taking a pluralistic vision of beauty through a collaborative effort.

Chanel said that in parallel, Kirby’s strong innovation strategy bolstered with expert research has resulted in the brand’s skin care generating “significant” growth around the world.

“Alongside these achievements, Anne has successfully driven large-scale business transformation, contributing to our sustainability ambitions, developing our people and commitment to innovation,” said Chanel.

Kirby has held her current position at the house since September 2018. Prior to that, she commanded top roles at the Eres and Bourjois brands.

Her successor will be announced in due course, according to Chanel.

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News of her impending departure follows the exit of Virginie Viard, artistic director of fashion collections at Chanel, in June. It comes amid a global changing of the guard that has seen a number of veteran executives depart after long careers at the house.

In separate news, Fabrice Raoul has been appointed as managing director of Chanel SAS, reporting to Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS. Raoul was named chief financial officer Europe and CFO corporate finance France, as well, following the retirement of Luc Dony, who held the positions for more than 16 years.

Raoul had been global CFO for Chanel’s Fragrance and Beauty division since April 2016. Prior to that, from September 2021 to March 2016, he served as director of finance planning and analysis for that division.

Over about a decade, Raoul held numerous positions at Bourjois, after working at Nestlé and Elf Aquitaine, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In May, Chanel global chief executive officer Leena Nair addressed the spate of high-profile executive departures last year – including that of John Galantic, president and COO of Chanel Inc. since 2006, as well as regional leaders for Japan, Asia Pacific, and the U.K., Canada and Latin America – after Chanel reported record revenues of $19.7 billion for 2023.

Nair said it was all part of a long-term succession plan set in motion with her arrival in 2021.

“Leadership changes and retirements are a part of the natural cycle of business. At Chanel, we are very privileged and lucky to have accomplished leaders who forged long careers,” she told WWD, noting that it’s not unusual for executives to serve for several decades at the company.

“Each of them makes a significant contribution and nurtures a new generation of talent, and it’s a testament to their leadership that we have an incredible bench and these new leaders are stepping in and taking over. All these changes have been prepared, planned and done thoughtfully, as we do everything at Chanel,” said Nair.

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