She announces her departure after dedicating over a decade to the FMCG conglomerate. No announcement has been made yet on her successor.
Vasiliki Petrou will be stepping down from her position of CEO for Unilever Prestige by the end of the month of July this year. In an announcement, she describes the move to be a difficult one citing her decision to pursue her dream to set up her own investment fund.
Petrou founded Unilever Prestige in 2014, with a vision to enhance the brand's footprint in the luxury beauty market. "We were, and always have been, incredibly selective in the brands we acquire, only choosing those which will enhance our existing portfolio. Founder-led brands worked well with our strategy and in many cases, the founders are still involved," she told Unilever in an interview.
In her announcement, Petrou cites how "the idea of Unilever Prestige disrupted long-held paradigms and created a playbook of premium beauty acquisitions and sustainable long-term growth."
"Being the Unilever Prestige Founder and CEO has been a great honor and I’m proud of the many milestones we achieved together: A portfolio of 10 beautiful brands in just 10 years; becoming a €1.4B global portfolio and consistently growing ahead of the market. On a personal level, as someone who believes in lifting and championing women, being a female leader in a division made up of 80% women has been an incredibly rewarding and inspirational experience," she adds.
Unilever Prestige houses some of the most popular names such as Paula's Choice, REN, Tatcha, K18, Hourglass, Living Proof, and more. Dermologica and Paula's Choice are among Unilever's Power Brands.
