ESSEC Appointments: Beiersdorf, Microsoft, BCG, Air France-KLM, Sephora, Sodexo…

Our alumni are taking up management positions in major international groups that are committed to public life... Here’s a selection of the recent appointments within the ESSEC network.

Vincent Warnery (E91) was appointed CEO of Beiersdorf, the German cosmetics and skincare giant whose brands include Nivea and Hansaplast. With this new role, the former senior executive at Sanofi and L’Oréal joins the highly exclusive club of French people at the helm of foreign multinationals.

Domitille Doat-Le Bigot (E95) was appointed Chief Digital Officer at Eurazeo, an investment company that manages assets worth €18.8bn. Her entire career has been spent within the digital sphere, initially occupying management positions at Ubisoft Entertainment, then as the head of the design studio at the industry behemoth, Cisco, before serving as deputy general manager responsible for technological development at the advertising agency Fred & Farid, where she moved between Shanghai and Paris, and most recently a stint as Chief Digital Officer at Danone. She also serves on the Advisory Digital Board for Carlsberg Group. 

Franck Luisada (E98) was appointed Global Lead Telecom Sector at Boston Consulting Group. He has spent his career working for consulting firms specialising in technology, media, and telecommunications: Gemini Telecom & Media, DiamondCluster in Chicago, and then at BCG, where until recently he served as the TMT Practice Lead Western Europe & South America. He is also actively involved with ESSEC and the ESSEC Alumni network.

Christophe Airault (E05) was appointed Global Head of Transformation at Sodexo. He has spent most of his career within the group, initially as Construction Director, where he oversaw projects in Africa and Asia worth €5m to €20m. He was then promoted to Global Account Director where he managed a portfolio of 15 countries, before becoming Senior Vice President of the Canadian subsidiary. While in Canada, he also served as head of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Canada. 

Sylvie Moreau (E93) was appointed President Europe & Middle East at Sephora. She had previously worked as President Coty Professional Beauty, after spending 20 years in Switzerland at Procter&Gamble, where her roles included Executive Vice President Global at Wella.

Henri Hourcade (E88) was appointed Senior Vice President France at Air France-KLM. He has been with the famous airline for his entire career, moving from marketing to sales, and including spells in distribution, online business and corporate services, exploring many different markets around the world: Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Martinique, Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, Central and South America, and Africa. 

Côme Perpère (M06) joined the executive committee at Microsoft France as Sustainability and Transformation Director, a newly created post. Also a graduate of INSEAD, the Université Paris Dauphine in applied mathematics, and Cambridge University in sustainable development, he began his career by working in finance in London, before joining the longstanding IT industry leader, where he worked in various roles in sales and marketing before being appointed Chief of Staff. He has also spent some time as a Sales Manager at LinkedIn. In parallel to his work, he is an active member of the ESSEC Alumni Digital Steering Committee.

Laura Ionita (MBA 07) was appointed Global Digital & E-commerce Director at ST Dupont. She spent the first part of her career in a range of marketing roles at Orange, before spending almost 15 years in the e-commerce department at Louis Vuitton, for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. 

Olivier Grémillon (E03) is now the boss at Vivino, the most downloaded wine app ever, with 50 million users. Also a graduate of Harvard, his career already includes a spell at the top of Airbnb, and a role as vice-president at Booking. His new mission is to drive exponential growth, with a turnover of $265m and sales that rose 103% in 2020.

Thierry Oriez (E85) is now President of Henri Selmer Paris, a company that has been pursuing excellence in the manufacture of musical instruments since 1885. The role will enable him to discover a new field of luxury craftsmanship, in a career that has also seen him serve as Deputy Managing Director at Baccarat, President & CEO at Christofle, and President & CEO at JM Weston.

Anne-Sophie Liduena (E04) was appointed MD France at Photobox, a company that publishes over 2 million custom photo albums every year, occupying 40% of the market. Also qualified with an MBA from Insead, she worked at Groupon before becoming VP France at Weekendesk, and later serving as a Sales Manager LCS at Google in Dublin. Next, she occupied a series of roles that includes Director New Product Development at Booking.com in Amsterdam, and Global Manager France & Benelux at Secret Escapes.

Ahmed Khalid Benomar (E09) was appointed Head of Economic & Investment Department for the Moroccan Head of Government. He had previously occupied a number of management roles in the public and private sectors in the fields of strategic consulting, project management, investment, and regional development, as well as working to support reform and public policies. Before this new role, he was Strategy and Planning Director at the Agency of Promotion and Development of the North-Rabat-Tangier.

To find out about all ESSEC appointments, check our weekly Appointment feed.

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