Corporate News
Patricia Ithau is credited with growing L’Oréal business in East Africa
where sales of Nice & Lovely range of beauty products accounted for
two-thirds of its revenue, highlighting the lucrative nature of Kenya’s
low-end cosmetics market. Photo/JEFF ANGOTE
By HERBLING DAVID
In Summary
- Ms Ithau has been overseeing regional operations for L’Oréal since it set up in Nairobi in 2011, and was instrumental in the takeover of Nice & Lovely brands from Paul Kinuthia, the brains behind Interconsumer Products.
L’Oréal East Africa managing director Patricia Ithau
is set to leave the French make-up firm at the end of this month after a
three-year stint at the helm.
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Ms Ithau will be replaced on July 1 by Philippe D’Have,
currently the L’Oréal business development director for sub-Saharan
Africa. He is a Belgian.
Changes at the Paris-based company’s Nairobi office
come a year after L’Oréal acquired the health and beauty business of
Kenyan-owned Interconsumer Products, in a deal estimated at Sh3 billion.
The changes were announced by Geoff Skingsley,
L’Oréal executive vice president in charge of Africa and Middle East, in
an internal memo to staff.
“With Patricia leaving us in June, Philippe is
managing the handover and will take over full responsibility for East
Africa from July 1, reporting to me,” said Mr Skingsley in a memo seen
by the Business Daily.
Ms Ithau has been overseeing regional operations
for L’Oréal since it set up in Nairobi in 2011, and was instrumental in
the takeover of Nice & Lovely brands from Paul Kinuthia, the brains
behind Interconsumer Products.
“I resigned a while ago. I believe it’s the right
time to move on. I will take a gap before engaging in a new challenge,”
Ms Ithau said in an interview.
She is credited with growing L’Oréal business in
East Africa where sales of Nice & Lovely range of beauty products
accounted for two-thirds of its revenue, highlighting the lucrative
nature of Kenya’s low-end cosmetics market.
“Her role in integrating the two teams was
instrumental in the success of the acquisition, and her knowledge and
management of the external parties involved in the process of finalising
the take-over were critical.”
L’Oréal East Africa said it sold 40 million units
of skincare, cosmetics, hair care, hair colour and hair styling products
last year compared to two million products in 2012 when it only dealt
with its Dark and Lovely brands in the Kenyan market.
L’Oreal said regional export markets account for 30
per cent of sales and ships the beauty products to Uganda, Tanzania,
Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Angola.
Mr D’Have has worked with L’Oréal for over 20 years
and has previously served as general manager in Ukraine and Colombia.
The firm is banking on Mr D’Have’s experience in the cosmetics industry
to grow market share in Kenya.
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