Calvin Klein poaches L'Oréal USA CMO

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Feb 27, 2018

Calvin Klein is entrusting its marketing to French beauty specialist Marie Gulin-Merle, whose appointment to the position of CMO at the PVH-owned company was announced on Tuesday. She "will be charged with further expanding the brand's voice and global marketing platforms", explained the brand in a release, as well as "strategically driving consumer engagement to position the business for long-term growth."

A graduate from France's HEC Paris business school, Marie Gulin-Merle has spent her entire career at L'Oréal. She joined the company in 2001 and rose through the ranks of the brand's marketing and communications department to become Global Head of Integrated Marketing Communications, a position she took up at in 2010. In 2014, she crossed the Atlantic to take over the role of Chief Marketing Officer for L'Oréal USA.

At Calvin Klein, she will work closely with Raf Simons, who has been setting the creative course for the brand for a year and a half, and will report to Steve Shiffman, the company's CEO. 

Calvin Klein, which was founded by Calvin and Barry Schwartz in 1968, achieved a 7% increase in sales last year, reaching 3.135 billion dollars. The company is expected to report its 2017-2018 results in March.