Kao reorganises organisation to strengthen future growth in the AEMEA Region

Japanese consumer goods company Kao Corporation, which owns beauty and haircare brands including John Frieda, Molton Brown, and Bioré, is introducing a new organisational structure to strengthen its business in the Americas as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In a statement, Kao said it was creating a new pan-regional organisational structure for its functions and operations in the AEMEA Region and has named Guido Kirchhoff to lead the newly created AEMEA supply chain organisation as president of global operations.

While Steve Cagle has been appointed as president of global functions. Both Kirchhoff and Cagle will report to all three AEMEA business sector presidents.

The aim of the new structure will create more synergies and less duplications and complexity within the functions and operations across the regions, explains Kao, to better support the business, fuel business growth for all business sectors and create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for all its employees.

Karen Frank, president of consumer care business AEMEA, said: “Both Guido Kirchhoff and Steve Cagle have a proven track record of leading and developing diverse and broad organizations. Their experience will help us to form a strong pan-regional AEMEA organization to best support all of our three business sectors.”

Kirchhoff is a renowned supply chain expert who has previously worked for Procter & Gamble and Wella and joined Kao in 2004 as the global supply chain leader for the salon business sector. Cagle held several positions at Kraft General Foods, Alberto Culver and Helene Curtis before he joined the former Kao Brands Company to lead its supply chain organisation. Kirchhoff and Cagle both led the functions operations for EMEA and Americas, respectively, before taking on their newly created roles.

With these changes, Kao added that the regional research and development organisations will now report directly to the business leaders “to ensure an ongoing, competitive and efficient innovation stream to fuel all sectors´ business growth”. Conni Weaver, vice president of R&D, Americas research laboratories, will report into Karen Frank. Martin Uellner, vice president of R&D, European research laboratories will report into Dominic Pratt and Mark Johnson.