AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

André Branch is a general manager with a strong marketing core whose passion lies in building luxury brands His management expertise spans the full range of operational functions – Marketing, Sales, Ecommerce, Supply Chain, P&L ownership, Merchandising, IT, HR, Finance, Customer Care, and International

André is currently SVP and GM, MAC North America at Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) Prior to joining ELC, André worked at a number of world class Consumer Packaged Goods companies At L’Oréal, he ran Digital and Ecommerce Operations for the USA He also led some of the company’s most iconic luxury brands such as Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, Diesel, Stella McCartney, and Ralph Lauren

After L’Oréal, André joined The Nature’s Bounty Co as part of the executive team put in place by private equity firm, The Carlyle Group He was there in various roles: As the CMO of the Consumer Packaged Goods division, a $2 billion entity and finally, as the President of ECommerce, overseeing a pure-play, global ecommerce business

Before L’Oréal, André spent 8 years at Diageo where he oversaw some of the world’s leading spirit brands, including Cuervo tequila, Smirnoff vodka, Captain Morgan rum, and Johnnie Walker scotch whisky In his final role at Diageo, he was the Global Marketing Head of the Diageo Reserve Portfolio, a $700 million collection of luxury spirits

Mr Branch is also an independent board director for Signet Jewelers, a publicly traded company, and Partnership with Children, a New York City focused non-profit

André began his post-MBA career at Kraft Foods in the Post Cereals division Prior to receiving his MBA, he worked as a CPA in Audit for Deloitte & Touche André holds a BA in Economics from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business He’s a proud dad of two energetic kids – Cillian, 10 years old, and Isla, 8 years old –and his personal passions include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (he is a Renzo Gracie Black Belt), running, and travel