PARIS – Sephora has appointed Catherine Spindler president of its Europe and Middle East operations, starting on Jan. 27.
The executive is to join the Sephora Global Leadership Team and report to Guillaume Motte, president and chief executive officer of the prestige beauty retailer, which is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Spindler is succeeding Sylvie Moreau in the Sephora EME role.
“Catherine’s mission will be to continue writing Sephora’s growth trajectory in Europe and the Middle East with our talented teams, gaining market shares in this historic region for Sephora,” said Motte, in an internal company memo. “She will keep elevating our brand and our customer’s experience across all touchpoints of our journey, while reinforcing loyalty.
“She will bring her strong international omnichannel retail experience, gained at Vente-Privée and Lacoste, and her recognized leadership skills,” Motte continued.
Since 2019, Spindler has worked at Lacoste, where she is part of the executive committee and has served as deputy CEO for three years. Before that, she was the label’s chief brand officer.
Catherine Spindler.
Courtesy of Sephora
In 2014, Spindler joined Vente-Privée Group as chief marketing officer, then became its France managing director and vice president of group customer experience. She joined Rocher Group in 2001, where the executive oversaw the Yves Rocher brand’s expansion in Asia. In 2008, she became vice president and member of the Dr. Pierre Ricaud brand’s executive committee.
Spindler started her career at LVMH, at Guerlain. She is a graduate of EDHEC Business School.
In Europe and the Middle East, between 2022 and 2024, Sephora has been clocking more than 20 percent annual gains. There, the retailer has been outperforming the market growth by two- to six-times. What’s been crucial for Sephora’s disproportionate gains there has been the idea that the store is its first media.
In Europe, Sephora has been renovating and opening stores – 15 in 2023, including the reopening of its iconic Champs-Élysées flagship, for instance.
