LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics subsidiary has named Nicholas Munafo president of its LVMH Fragrance Brands division, a new position based in New York.
Munafo, who currently holds the same post at Shiseido’s Beauté Prestige International USA unit, is scheduled to join LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics on Dec. 1.
He’ll take over the duties of Jean-Christophe Gandon, who is now general manager of Parfums Givenchy, Kenzo, Pucci and Fendi U.S., and is leaving the company to return to Paris for personal reasons.
The luxury goods giant said during the spring it would create the LVMH Fragrance Brands division to regroup the sales forces of the four brands while maintaining each one’s individual creative, marketing and communications activities.
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Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics North America, said Monday she was pleased “to have someone from the industry who has a proven track record. He has a great reputation [and] relationship with all of our retail partners. He’s a fragrance expert.”
She added that Munafo will head the launch of Fan di Fendi, the house’s new scent, which is slated to reach the U.S. next fall. He’ll also lead the rollout of Play for Her from Givenchy — the biggest name in the LVMH Fragrance Brands U.S. portfolio — Baxter noted, which began a worldwide launch this month. Munafo will report to Baxter.
Munafo took the BPI post in spring 2008. Before that, he was executive vice president of sales and marketing at P&G Prestige Products Inc. since 2005.
Munafo began his career in 1991 at McKesson Drug Co. in Detroit as a promotional account manager. He then moved to New York for one-year stints in cosmetics buying jobs at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York before joining Parfums Boucheron in 1994 as marketing manager. At that time, Boucheron was the U.S. distributor for BPI and its Issey Miyake and Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance brands.
In 1996, Munafo moved to Federated Department Stores Inc., first as merchandising manager of fragrances and then as marketing manager of private label brands. He joined P&G in 1998 as marketing director and subsequently moved up through the organization.