Change of guard at L’Oreal as top marketer Mark O’Keefe departs
O'Keefe: out after 7 years
New broom: Jon Arnold
The top marketer at L’Oreal has exited after a 20-year tenure with the company.
Mark O’Keefe, who was general manager of L’Oreal Australia’s consumer products division for the last seven years, has left “to pursue a new challenge outside the group,” according to an internal memo from the company’s Melbourne-based boss.
O’Keefe has been replaced by Jon Arnold, who has been with the company for 14 years, latterly based in Paris.
Arnold will oversee brands including L’Oreal Paris, Garnier and Maybelline. He will work with agencies including Publicis Mojo Melbourne and digital shop Reborn.
MD of L’Oreal Australia and New Zealand Johan Berg said in the note:
After 20 years with L’Oréal, seven of which as the General Manager of the Consumer Products Division in Australia, Mark O’Keefe has left the company to pursue a new challenge outside the Group.
During his time in Australia, Mark contributed to the Division’s expansion, in particular through new distribution channels, successful launches and powerful marketing events such as the Garnier sponsorship of the Australian Tennis Open and the development of the L’Oreal Paris Melbourne Fashion Festival.
I want to thank Mark for his commitment to L’Oréal and for his dedicated support to his team. I am sure you will join me in wishing him the very best success for the future.
To succeed Mark, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Arnold as new General Manager for the Consumer Products Division. Jon has been in the group for 14 years and started his career in sales in the UK in 1998. After three and a half years as Sales Director for Garnier & Maybelline, Jon then went to Thailand where he was General Manager for CPD for just over 4 years. In the last 2 years, based in Paris, he has been driving a global project of “Commercial Excellence” for the L’Oreal Group Consumer Division.
