Brand General Manager MAC Cosmetics

MAC Cosmetics is part of Estee Lauder Companies and frontrunner in cosmetics- edgy and trendsetting since it was founded in 1984. Currently, there is an opportunity for a Brand General Manager Benelux to lead the brand through its evolving competitive landscape and shifting customer preferences. This exciting role requires combining financial, marketing, commercial and people skills and offers the unique opportunity to take full responsibility of the MAC P&L and the MAC team that consists of 350 people.

About MAC & Estee Lauder

MAC Cosmetics was founded in 1984 by two Canadian cosmetics professionals. In 1998, the company was taken over by Estee Lauder Companies, an American manufacturer of beauty products. In 2018, Estee Lauder Companies reached a revenue of USD 12 billion through brands including MAC, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, La Mer and a wide range of perfumes. Although listed on the NYSE and led by an external CEO since 2009, Estee Lauder is still run like a family business and some key positions are held by members of the Lauder family. Over the past 10 years, the company has quadrupled its revenue.

MAC Benelux is headquartered in Brussels, with all Benelux operations located here except Point of Sales, Field Sales, and Training for The Netherlands. MAC is one of the leading brands of Estee Lauder Companies. The culture in the office is characterized by friendly office politics, open communication, and a family feel. People working with Estee Lauder Companies are diverse, passionate and empowered.

The market

MAC is a market leader in make-up and so holds a strong position in a competitive landscape.MAC has this competitive advantage, among other assets through its devoted and passionate in-store make-up artists. The Brand General Manager Benelux will lead the brand and team through the evolving landscape and shifting customer preferences.

The role

The Brand General Manager is responsible for MAC Cosmetics in the Benelux. This means they hold the responsibility of the top- and bottom-line of the brand and 350 people on the team, including consumer engagement, community, sales and training, marketing, merchandising product, events, and retail operations. The Brand General Manager’s responsibilities cover financial, commercial, branding and people management, for example:

• Setting up and maintaining partnerships with key clients
• Evaluating competitive challenges and identifying opportunities for boosting sales and higher profits
• Managing and enhancing KPIs for their distribution channels
• Defining product selection strategy, assortment and pricing
• Providing leadership, guidance and management to all MAC staff
• Leading activities associated with new stores and markets launches
• Developing and implementing plans for Marketing and Sales
• Contributing to fiscal plans and monitoring MAC budgets

“What’s so exciting about this role: the Brand General Manager really has full ownership of the MAC business in the Benelux!” – Isabelle De Cock, General Manager- Estée Lauder Companies Benelux

It is crucial that the Brand General Manager is as much capable of developing strategy and vision as of translating this to execution, in order to bring MAC to life in the stores, by leveraging the MAC team. The priority is to enhance the execution in stores and the customer experience in the Benelux.

With the Benelux Affiliate’s offices in Brussels, it is important that the Brand General Manager spends at least 2-3 days a week with the team at the Belgian office. The other days can be spent in the field, with large retailers or worked from the Netherlands.

MAC Cosmetics is an edgy brand and has always been a trendsetter in the cosmetics market. This role offers a unique opportunity to be the General Manager of the largest Estee Lauder brands in the Benelux, leading the team and fully owning the brand’s P&L.

Candidate profile

Experience

• Retail marketing experience (in luxury) is essential

Skills

• Financial expertise for P&L and budgeting
• Marketing/branding expertise
• Strong people management
• Commercial intuition
• Analytical and strategic mindset
• Language skills: English (Dutch & French is a plus)
• Digital Agility

Estee Lauder Companies works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
Contact Janko Klaeijsen at janko@topofminds.com for more information.