Sephora, the French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products, has appointed Zena Srivatsa Arnold as its new chief marketing officer for the U.S. market. Srivatsa Arnold joins Sephora from PepsiCo, where she served as the senior vice president of carbonated soft drinks. She has also held senior marketing and management positions at Google, Kellogg Company, Proctor & Gamble, and Kimberly-Clark. Her appointment follows a period of C-suite reshuffles at Sephora, including the appointment of Guillame Motte as global president and CEO and the transition of Deborah Yeh to global chief purpose officer.
Sephora Americas president and CEO Jean-André Rougeot noted that Srivatsa Arnold brings extensive experience in building and growing brands, as well as driving initiatives that reach clients digitally. She has a rare combination of experience in traditional consumer marketing and performance marketing, making her an ideal fit for the company. Rougeot added that Srivatsa Arnold’s appointment comes at the perfect time as the retailer narrows in on its growth strategy.
Srivatsa Arnold’s relocation to San Francisco marks a new chapter in Sephora’s history. The company has been rolling out new initiatives to reduce packaging waste and connect with diverse TikTok creators to develop meaningful, creator-led social content strategies. In January, Sephora introduced its Beauty (Re)Purposed program, a joint venture with Pact Collective that repurposes beauty empties into carpets, pallets, new packaging, or energy. The program aims to reduce packaging waste in 600 stores in the U.S. and Canada as part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s overall Life360 program.
In March, Sephora launched the Sephora x TikTok Incubator Program, which connects past and present brands of the Sephora Accelerate program with diverse TikTok creators. The program aims to help the brands develop meaningful, creator-led social content strategies. Among the 12 participating brands this year are 2021 Sephora Accelerate cohort members Topicals, Eadam, and Hyper Skin, who were connected with prominent beauty creators including Amy Chang, Rocio Lopez-Jimenez, and Nyma Tang.
Srivatsa Arnold’s appointment is expected to drive Sephora’s marketing efforts and growth in the U.S. market. The retailer’s marketing leadership team, which is made up of Anna Banks, Emmy Berlind, Devon Duisenberg, Abigail Jacobs, Jessica Stacey, and Maria Terry, will report to Srivatsa Arnold in her new role. She is expected to bring her disruptive skills, digital expertise, passion for beauty, and collaborative approach to the team and help them achieve their goals.
Sephora has a strong reputation for providing a seamless shopping experience to its customers. The retailer offers a wide range of personal care and beauty products, including makeup, skincare, fragrances, and hair care products. Sephora’s business model centers around providing customers with an elevated shopping experience that blends the online and offline worlds. The company has been recognized for its innovative marketing campaigns and its commitment to sustainability.
In recent years, Sephora has made significant investments in its digital capabilities to better serve its customers. The company has been developing new technologies that enable it to provide personalized product recommendations, virtual try-on experiences, and more. Sephora has also been expanding its e-commerce capabilities, making it easier for customers to shop online and pick up their orders in-store. These investments have helped Sephora remain competitive in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Sephora’s appointment of Srivatsa Arnold as CMO is expected to further enhance the company’s position in the market. Her experience in traditional consumer marketing and performance marketing, combined with her digital expertise,
