The Departure Comes Amid Other Changes as Part of a Longterm Succession Plan
Anne Kirby, the president of Chanel Fragrance and Beauty plans to retire at the end of the year. Kirby has played a key role at Chanel for the past 35 years.
In an official statement, Chanel acknowledged Kirby’s work in strengthening the Fragrance and Beauty business. The statement read, “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.” Mention was also made of her work in expanding the brand’s global reach and in boosting its fragrance market authority.
Furthermore, through an inventive initiative dubbed the Comètes Collective, Kirby fostered creativity by uniting different perspectives to generate fresh concepts. The Comètes Collective, a group of makeup artists unveiled in October 2022, works to accelerate the creative momentum of the Chanel Makeup Creation Studio and takes a pluralistic vision of beauty through a collaborative effort.
In addition to these accomplishments, Chanel highlighted Kirby’s successful strategy in boosting the brand’s skincare line, producing “significant” growth worldwide. They also mentioned her role in spearheading large-scale business transformation in line with sustainability ambitions, people development, and innovation.
Kirby has held her current position at Chanel since September 2018, and previously held top roles at the Eres and Bourjois brands.
Chanel has yet to announce Kirby’s successor.
This departure follows the earlier exit of Virginie Viard, Chanel’s artistic director of fashion collections, in June. Other veteran executives have also recently left, marking a global changing of the guard in the luxury house.
In other news, Chanel has named Fabrice Raoul the new managing director of Chanel SAS, from his previous role as global CFO for Chanel’s Fragrance and Beauty division. Raoul takes over from Luc Dony, who retired after holding the position for 16 years. Raoul’s new roles also include being named chief financial officer Europe and CFO corporate finance France.
Speaking on the executive departures, Chanel’s global CEO Leena Nair said in May it was all part of a long-term succession plan in motion since 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.”
Nair also highlighted the strength of Chanel’s leadership pipeline, stating “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.”