Kao USA Inc. has named Karen Frank, President of Mass Business for the Americas and European region, and Jesse Grissom, President of Operations in the Americas region.

Karen, the first woman to hold this senior level position, will work closely with Jesse to ensure brands such as Jergens, John Frieda Hair Care and Bioré are positioned for growth.

The appointments signify a new organizational structure to ensure clearer roles and responsibilities. Prior to Karen’s promotion, she held a dual role as General Manager, U.S. Sales and Marketing and Americas and Europe Innovation for the Mass Channel. In her new role, she adds the President title and assumes direct responsibility over the entire Mass Channel for the Americas and European region.

Jesse, the first African-American to hold this senior level position, will oversee the leaders of supply chain, human resources, IT, legal and finance, which support the Mass Business Sector, in addition to the Salon and Molton Brown businesses.

Kao Corp. is the leading consumer products company in Japan.