Nathalie Berger-Duquene to lead next phase of growth for the heritage fragrance house
Kering Beauté has appointed seasoned beauty executive Nathalie Berger-Duquene as chief executive officer of Creed, effective May 6.
This follows the departure of Sarah Rotheram at the end of October. In the interim, Creed was managed by Kering Beauté CEO Raffaella Cornaggia, to whom Berger-Duquene will now report. She will be based in London and serve on the division’s executive committee.
Like Cornaggia, Berger-Duquene joins Kering from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she most recently served as global general brand manager of Balmain Beauty since 2022. A graduate of French business school ESSEC, she began her career at Guerlain before holding roles at L’Oréal brands including Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein and Lancôme. She later joined Lauder in 2019 as general manager EMEA for Tom Ford Beauty and Kilian Paris, before becoming senior vice president of global marketing for Tom Ford Beauty.
Kering Beauté acquired Creed in June 2023 for a reported $3.8 billion, marking its first major beauty acquisition. Since then, the brand has expanded its offering with feminine fragrances Carmina and Queen of Silk, and achieved over 300 million euros in 2024 sales.
“It’s a brand with much greater potential than that,” said Jean-Marc Duplaix, Kering’s deputy CEO in charge of operations and finance. “There’s a lot of demand for unique fragrances, and that’s really Creed’s proposition.”
Founded in 1760, Creed is known for its cult scents like Aventus Cologne and Green Irish Tweed, and continues to manufacture its essences near Paris using traditional infusion techniques. The brand now plays a central role in Kering Beauté’s push into the high-end fragrance sector, alongside houses like Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen.
“In the next few years, perfume is the absolute priority for Kering Beauté,” said Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault.