Ex-Lululemon chief Calvin McDonald is returning to the beauty business. Hair care giant the Wella Company on Wednesday announced that on April 2 he will join as chief executive officer.
Before his seven-year stint leading the performance activewear brand, McDonald spent five years as president and CEO of Sephora Americas. He left Lululemon last month amid falling sales in North America, its top market, and quality control controversies. But overall his tenure was marked by massive growth, spurred by overseas expansion and a tripling of its revenues.
He takes over from Executive Chair Glenn Murphy, who began overseeing the company a year ago after the departure of former CEO Annie Young-Scrivner. Murphy will remain as executive board chair to provide continuity and strategic advice.
“I’m thrilled to return to the beauty industry — an innovative, fast evolving sector powered by consumers who are genuinely passionate about the products they love,” McDonald said in a statement.
Wella, which has been around for 145 years, is in growth mode, and the company called out McDonald’s experience in driving scale, market share gains and profitable growth. While he was at Sephora, the beauty retailer enjoyed five straight years of double-digit growth, became a market leader in the Americas and grew hair care into its fastest-growing category, Wella said in its release.
Five years ago, investment firm KKR bought a majority stake in Wella from Coty for over $2 billion, then bought the remaining 25% from Coty in December.
Clarification: This post has been updated to reflect that Executive Chair Glenn Murphy began leading the company following the departure of former CEO Annie Young-Scrivner.
