Kristin Walcott has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of Kendo, effective December 1. She will replace David Suliteanu, who is leaving the group after 20 years at Kendo and sister company, Sephora. Kristin, most recently President of Kendo, will report to Chris de Lapuente, President & CEO of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics, and a member of the LVMH Executive Committee, Kendo’s parent. She will also be a member of the LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics Executive Committee, joining Chris. Prior to being named President of Kendo in December 2019, Kristin was SVP, Global General Manager, for the brand incubator, which is based in San Francisco.

David joined Sephora Americas in 2000 as CEO. In 2008 he created Kendo, an incubator of founder-centric, socially disruptive beauty brands. In 2014, Kendo became independent from Sephora and David was named Kendo full time CEO.

“I thank David for his tremendous contributions to building Sephora Americas and Kendo. David’s unique passion for winning and his visionary leadership transformed Sephora into a truly iconic Beauty retailer. At Kendo, he then developed a superb organization and a portfolio of exciting beauty brands, such as Fenty Beauty and Ole Henriksen. I wish David much success for the future” said Chris.

Kristin joined Kendo in 2013 after a highly successful period at Sephora with a track record of shaping numerous winning product initiatives, including the launch of Fenty Beauty. As President, she oversees all brand development.

“I am delighted that we are able to promote Kristin to the role of Kendo Chief Executive Officer. She has worked alongside David as a key architect in shaping and building Kendo. Kristin is a passionate brand builder and a very balanced leader. As well as developing great winning initiatives, she is a strong talent developer. She is recognized for her empowering, engaging and authentic leadership. I am confident that together with her team she will further push the limits of creativity and storytelling to launch and develop more winning products.” said Chris.