L'Oréal appoints Cheryl Vitali as global president of luxe American brands

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jan 9, 2020

L’Oréal has appointed Cheryl Vitali, former head of the Kiehl’s brand, to the newly created position of global president of the French cosmetics conglomerate’s luxe American brands.

 
In her new role, Vitali will oversee L’Oréal’s portfolio of U.S.-based luxury brands, which includes Urban Decay, It Cosmetics, Clarisonic and Kiehl’s.
 
Over a ten-year period as global president of Kiehl’s, Vitali drove strong growth at the 169-year-old skincare business, which evolved from a small national brand to an international powerhouse, which now ranks among the top five skincare brands in key markets such as Asia, Europe, and North America.

Vitali first joined L’Oréal in 2003 and went on to oversee marketing at brands including Lancôme, Maybelline and Garnier, before taking on her position at Kiehl’s.
 
The executive, who holds a BA from Yale University, was awarded the Cosmetic Executive Women Achievers Award in 2008 and was named Woman of the Year by the Womanhood organization in 2018.
 
She also serves on the boards of G-III Apparel Group and the charity Autism Speaks.
 
“Cheryl’s legacy on Kiehl’s, the business and the teams is simply remarkable. And her impact as a leader and innovator of a distinct ‘indie brand’ philosophy has been major,” said Cyril Chapuy, global president of L’Oréal Luxe, in a release. “In the name of the division, I want to sincerely thank and congratulate Cheryl.”
 
As Vitali steps away from her position at the head of Kiehl’s, she will be succeeded by Leonardo Chavez, who will now be responsible for overseeing the brand’s global strategy, as well as its product innovation, creative, retail, digital, communications and marketing efforts.
 
Having joined L’Oréal in 2000, Chavez’s most recent role at the company was as global brand president of Maybelline New York, a position he has held since 2015.

The executive’s two decades at the group have also seen him serve as global general manager of the Matrix brand from 2011 to 2015 and head of global marketing at Maybelline New York, a role he stepped into in 2007.
 
“It’s a dream come true for me to join the Kiehl’s family as global president, and I’m excited to continue the growth and unique storytelling of this beautiful brand,” said Chavez, who holds an MBA from New York University.