US. Thia Breen has been appointed Estée Lauder President North America, effective early February. She will replace Janet Cook, who retired in July.
Breen was most recently Senior Vice President, Cosmetics, Federated Merchandising Group where she oversaw the Federated Department Store cosmetics business – the largest prestige cosmetics business in the US.
However she has spent the majority of her career at The Estée Lauder Companies, joining Clinique in 1977 as an Account Executive in Los Angeles.
In 1985 she was named National Sales Manager, Aramis and in 1992 she was appointed the first National Sales Manager for Origins where, as a member of the founding team, she helped to establish the brand’s unique profile.
She returned to Clinique in 1996 as Senior Vice President, National Sales Manager building a sales team that brought Clinique to the number one position in cosmetics in US department store distribution. In 2001 she was named Senior Vice President, General Manager Clinique North America.
“Thia is superbly experienced for this position,” commented Estée Lauder Global Brand President John Demsey, to whom Breen will report.
“Her vast accomplishments in sales and leadership at The Estée Lauder Companies, plus her recent tenure in retailing, make her ideal for this critical post. This is like a homecoming for Thia and I am thrilled to have her back.”
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