L’Oreal Appoints Hugh Pile as First Ever UK and Ireland CMO

L’Oreal has announced the appointment of its first ever Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for its UK and Ireland business.

Hugh Pile has been brought in to realign marketing with other core functions including consumer insight and social listening, working closely with teams across the French beauty giant’s brands which include Lancome Paris, Maybelline and Redken.

The UK and Ireland branch is an important part of the wider groups targeting of an aggressive growth strategy, which aims to reach a billion new customers by 2020. Pile joins UK and Ireland Managing Director Michel Brousset, whom he will report to.

Part of the group’s expansion plan involves a focus on innovation, consumer feedback, increasing media efficiencies and building a new centre of excellence designed to stimulate inspiration and transversal learning.

Pile said: “The realms of digital and marketing have become inseparable where the beauty industry is concerned and I am delighted to be working with a variety of teams within the business to ensure this remains a priority for L’Oreal.”

This latest appointment comes after global CMO Marc Speichert left L’Oreal to join Google. The company also promoted senior marketer Marie Gulin to the position of US CMO.

Last year the group turned over more than €22 billion with an employment base of 77,500.