Keraudy will take over from Umesh Phadke as the first female managing director of L’Oreal Thailand on April 1. She is currently general manager of L’Oreal Thailand’s consumer products division, and will come to the top position with significant experience in L’Oreal across multiple countries.
“My second priority will be to continue growing our people and ensure we are doing business in a sustainable way. We want to make sure L’Oreal Thailand is the best place to work for all employees and grow our business in a manner that will have a positive impact on both society and the environment,” she said.
L’Oreal Thailand has 21 brands, ranging from mass market brands to luxury, offering consumers a wide range of beauty products and price points. Last year alone, it sold 87 million product items across all categories.
L’Oreal (Thailand) Co, a subsidiary of the world’s leading beauty company, has announced impressive 2015 performance, especially in the facial skincare segment, the largest in the Thai beauty market, as well as accelerated growth in the makeup sector.
L’Oreal’s business is ranked No 1 in the Asean countries where it operates.
The value of Thailand’s skincare market last year was estimated at Bt26 billion, up 5 per cent over 2014. Facial skincare accounted for 68 per cent of the market, with makeup, which posted the fastest growth of 6.5 per cent, valued at about Bt14 billion.
Outgoing managing director Umesh Phadke said L’Oreal Thailand had performed strongly performance and remained the fastest-growing beauty company in the country.
“Our leadership in the highly competitive facial-skincare market, our fast growth in the makeup market, and our adherence to the very highest standards of trust and innovation in our operations [are] at the heart of this great achievement for our company. I would like to thank every L’Oreal employee for their contribution to this great success,” he said.
In order to accelerate further in 2016, the company will focus on five key areas: introducing new brands, strong product innovation, effective communication, both online and offline, expanded distribution channels and increased concentration on sustainability.
Digital innovation will also be key strategy for L’Oreal Thailand in a highly mobile and connected market. Thailand has nearly 82 million mobile connections, and more than 37 million people use Facebook every month.
Average social-media use is almost three hours a day.
“We are focusing more on digital media, and have invested 130 per cent more in digital media compared [with] last year. Our Garnier Sakura White campaign with ‘selfie sticks’ used as a means of relating to Thai consumers who love taking selfies had almost 3 million views on YouTube and was recognised as the best campaign worldwide,” Phadke said.
E-commerce is another growing trend, with overall Internet retail increasing by 30 per cent in 2015 to Bt47 billion in total value, according to Euromonitor. DHL reports that the Thai e-commerce market is growing rapidly, and is expected to more than triple in size to Bt138 billion by 2020.
“Thai people aspire to beauty,” Phadke said. “It is a consistent part of Thai life, and this can be seen prominently in the culture, arts, architecture, and the way one expresses oneself here.
“The Thai quest for beauty has facilitated the growth of the Thai beauty market, and fills the future with great opportunity. With exciting new brands, strong product innovations, innovative digital communications, e-commerce growth and high-quality in-store services and experiences, we are confident that we will take our place at the top of the makeup market in the near future, while continuing our strong leadership of the facial-skincare market.”
The company says Nathalie Gerschtein Keraudy has strong understanding of the Thai beauty market, with three years of success in the country’s business results.
Phakde will move to a new role as country manager of L’Oreal Indonesia.
