New executive committee for Galeries Lafayette department store division now complete

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Feb 4, 2014

The saga of departures and arrivals for the Galeries Lafayette department store division has come to a close. Nicolas Houzé, who was somewhat abruptly appointed in 2013 to succeed Paul Delaoutre as division CEO, has redefined the committee's functions as part of the Ambitions 2020 action plan. The son of group chairman Philippe Houzé now has his team in place. The company’s announcement aims to end a spate of recent articles about the firing of nearly the entire former committee members.

An indication of the team's new direction, Michel Roulleau has accepted the role of special advisor to Philippe Houzé. Roulleau was the right arm to Paul Delaoutre for many years and, according to many observers, is indispensable because of his strong ties to the brands. Some appointments to the executive committee were already in the works, such as Averyl Oates as director of fashion, formerly with Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Others were new recruits to the company, such as Jean-Philippe Marazzani, previously head of marketing and digital for electronics retailer Darty. He will now be in charge of the client and omnichannel department. Former Occitane executive Frédérique Chemaly has been named head of human resources. Olivier Bron from Bain & Company will be in charge of the Galeries Lafayette store network, the BHV Marais, international markets and strategic planning.

A new executive committee position was created to oversee the Haussmann Boulevard flagship store through a separate business unit, led by Agnès Vigneron, who has spent her entire career at Galeries Lafayette. Also part of the reshuffling was the creation of a post for a director of specialized concepts (beauty, lingerie, etc.), held by William Pats, who left Yves Rocher in 2010 to join Galeries Lafayette. The other executive committee members include Philippe Pedone, director of finance; Marc Riard, director of transformation; and Elisabeth Cazorla, director of own brands. Nicolas Houzé’s younger brother Guillaume Houzé rounds out the committee. Guillaume Houzé has a strong interest in culture and was given the post of director of image and communication.