Hermes
On February 21, French luxury group Hermès announced that two female executives had joined the group's executive committee.
Starting from 1 March, Sharon MacBeath, Head of the Group's Human Resources Department, and Agnès de Villers, President and CEO of the Fragrances & Beauty Division, will join the Executive Committee of the Hermès Group. The other nine members of the Executive Committee remain unchanged.
MacBeath joined Hermès in June 2019 and has worked for international companies in the distribution, service and industrial sectors, and was a member of the Hermès Group Supervisory Board and Governance Committee.
De Villers joined Hermès in 2015 and in March 2020 she launched the beauty business for the Group, a new category that has since become an important growth driver for the Group.
Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermès and a sixth-generation member of the family, said the decision was made to "expand the composition of the executive committee and enrich its lineup with new talent and expertise." ”
The Group also said: "These two appointments are an important step in the development of Hermès and a strong testimony to the development of skills and personality within the Executive Committee. ”
Hermès released its 2021 financial report earlier this month, with revenue up 41.8 percent to 8.9 billion euros. (See "Magnificent": Hermès' annual net profit surged by 77%, but insufficient production capacity led to a 5.4% decline in leather goods sales in the fourth quarter)
Dufry
Julian Diaz, CEO and board member of Swiss travel retail giant Dufry AG, will step down as CEO on 31 May 2022 and will no longer run for the Board at the 2022 General Meeting.
Xavier Rossinyol will succeed him as new CEO, effective June 1. To ensure a smooth transition, Xavier will join Dufry on March 1 as Associate CEO and member of the Global Executive Committee.
Julian Diaz became CEO of Dufry in 2004 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2013. During his tenure, he led the team in the successful execution of global profit enhancement and sustainable growth strategies, making Dufry the world's leading travel retailer. In recent years, he has been active in his digital strategy and has introduced strong ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) measures.
Xavier Rossinyol worked on Dufry's management team from 2004 to 2015, first as Chief Financial Officer until 2012 and then as EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Co-Operating Officer until 2015. For the past seven years, he has been the CEO of Gategroup, an airline catering and in-flight retail brand.
Juan Carlos Torres, Chairman of Dufry, said: "On behalf of the entire company and the Board of Directors, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Julian Diaz for his outstanding dedication and extraordinary contribution to the brand and shareholders. He has been the driving force behind the Group's development. At the same time, I am delighted that Xavier is back as our new CEO, whose unparalleled industry experience, leadership and strategic vision will enable Dufry to recover from the impact of the pandemic as quickly as possible and accelerate short- and long-term business development." ”
Julian Diaz said: "I am grateful to have been able to lead Dufry over the past 18 years and have contributed to its impressive growth. I would like to thank the Board of Directors, shareholders, suppliers and partners for their trust and support, and especially all colleagues and employees of the Global Executive Committee. I also very much welcome Xavier's return to the company as a new Executive officer, whose unique experience is the perfect choice to take the Group to the next stage of development. ”