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Courtesy of Behind The Chair

David Craggs, President of L’Oréal USA’s Professional Products Division (PPD), is retiring from the company effective February 2009. The announcement was made by Laurent Attal, President & CEO of L’Oréal USA. Mr. Attal also named An Verhulst to succeed Mr. Craggs as President of L’Oreal USA’s Professional Products Division effective March 2009. Ms. Verhulst is currently General Manager of the Professional Products Division in Brazil.

Mr. Craggs has had a long and productive career with L’Oréal. He joined the L’Oréal Group in 1990 as General Manager in the UK for L'Oréal Coiffure, and six years later was named Managing Director for L’Oréal Denmark. In 1998, Mr. Craggs was promoted to Managing Director of L’Oréal Scandinavia before joining L’Oréal USA in 2001 as President of the Professional Products Division.

Mr. Craggs has contributed enormously to the growth and success of PPD over the eight years he has been in the US. Since joining L’Oréal USA, he significantly increased the Division’s market share and under his leadership sales more than doubled. “Over the years, David’s expertise and unique understanding of the salon community combined with his business acumen have gained him the respect of both industry professionals and colleagues alike,” stated Mr. Attal.

Craggs was the force behind several brand acquisitions, including the purchase of PureOlogy in 2007 for more than $300 million, as well as the ArtTec deal in 2002. Also during his tenure, Matrix was integrated into the PPD portfolio and expanded globally, and the Mizani brand was included in 2003.

He also oversaw the expansion of the makeup brand Shu Uemura into a hair care player and ultimately the formation of the L’Oréal Division’s Prestige Professional Brands unit. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, global sales of professional products at L’Oréal slipped 2.7 percent to 599.4 million euros, or $903 million. For the nine-month period, global professional sales were up 4.5 percent to 1.85 billion euros, or $2.3 billion. North America accounts for about 30 to 35 percent of the global company’s overall professional sales, Craggs has said.

An Verhulst comes to the United States with an extensive background in professional products, having started at L’Oréal 18 years ago in PPD in Belgium where she was in charge of marketing for the L’Oréal Professionnel brand. In 1998, Ms. Verhulst moved to the Division’s headquarters in Paris where she helped to lead both L’Oréal Professionnel and Kérastase. Two years later, she was named General Manager for PPD in the Netherlands. During her time there she increased sales and profits in an extremely competitive environment and successfully integrated the Matrix brand into the Division’s existing portfolio.

In 2004, Ms. Verhulst was promoted to her current position as General Manager of PPD for L’Oréal in Brazil. In this capacity, she has been responsible for the growth of Redken, the launch of Matrix, the development of professional services across all brands, as well as the establishment of L’Oréal Professionnel and Kérastase as key brands in the very demanding Brazilian market. During her four-year tenure, sales and profits doubled. According to Mr. Attal, “An’s extensive knowledge of the professional salon business, her proven track record and strong leadership skills make her well suited for her new position. We are pleased to welcome An to L’Oréal USA.”

L’ORÉAL USA

L'Oréal USA, headquartered in New York City, with 2007 sales of over $4 billion and 7,500 employees, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oréal SA, one of the world’s leading beauty companies. In addition to corporate headquarters in New York, L'Oréal USA has Research and Development, Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across eight states in the U.S., including New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, South Carolina and Texas.

L'Oréal's impressive portfolio of brands includes: Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, shu uemura, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Biotherm, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel, Cacharel, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, L'Oréal Professionnel and Kérastase. The U.S. is the base for the product development, international marketing and advertising for L'Oréal’s ten American brands: Maybelline New York, SoftSheen-Carson, Kiehl’s Since 1851, Ralph Lauren, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, Matrix, Logics, Mizani, PureOlogy and SkinCeuticals.