Bringing people into new roles on the global team at Kao proves that while Japanese in heritage, the Kao Group recognises the importance of its business in the Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) on future growth. A professional hair portfolio includes the labels Goldwell, KMS and Oribe so this news is relevant for British hairdressing but what does growing the global management team of a big company actually mean for salons in the UK? Bringing US and European members to the Global Management Team for the first time demonstrates that international representation and diversity is being nurtured. Now, wherever you and your business sit in the Kao family, you are being seen, and hopefully your voice gets stronger. There is someone pitching for the UK at the big board table!
Professional moves
Dominic Pratt
Dominic Pratt, President Global Salon has been named one of the new Executive Officers at Kao. He is President, Salon, Global. Short and to the point… we like it. Karen Franks – the first western woman to be appointed an executive officer to global management – is AEMEA Consumer Care Business as President as well as managing the role of President, Kao USA. Karen also now heads up the newly formed consumer facing business in the Americas and EMEA regions which will operate as Kao Consumer Care Business AEMEA.
Karen Frank
Phew! It’s heady stuff – but the key thing to follow is that in their new roles, they will be able to strengthen the role of the AEMEA Consumer Products Business within the global business operations by giving the regions a strong voice within the Global Management Team. They can consult the leadership team in Tokyo directly, and have the ability to lead the businesses with faster decision making and great autonomy. Both have been with Kao for over 10 years.
Consumer portfolio
As well as the Goldwell, KMS, Oribe trio, Kao has a strong portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Bioré, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries, and Molton Brown, making Kao part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe! Combined with its chemical division, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,400 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 33,000 people worldwide and has 130 years of history in innovation. This is massive. The organisation is split with Kao Salon Division being the one we relate to in the professional market, and now the new Consumer Care Business will focus on serving more consumers with a broader portfolio of brands beyond its current beauty focus.
“Listening to the Genba*, the local markets, has always been a core principle at Kao,” Dominic Pratt says. “I want to ensure that the Americas and EMEA markets get a stronger voice in our global operations while driving our businesses with more agility and faster decision making.”
*genba is Japanese meaning ‘the actual place’ – the pace where work is done.
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