• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, May 4, 2023

Sephora says  Zena Srivatsa Arnold is its new chief marketing officer and is expected to join the LVMH subsidiary this summer. Arnold, who had been the senior vice president of carbonated beverages at PepsiCo until December, replaces former CMO Deborah Yeh.

Late last year, Sephora moved Yeh to the role of chief purpose officer, based in the company's Paris office.

Before PepsiCo, Arnold held key marketing roles at Google, Kellogg Company and Procter & Gamble. She has also been the chief marketing and digital officer at Kimberly-Clark.

Yeh, who has been with Sephora for over a decade, is credited with its "We belong to something beautiful" campaign and spearheaded many of the retailer's diversity efforts, including its groundbreaking "Racial Bias in Retail."

LVMH does not break out Sephora's financial results, reporting them as "Selective retailing," a group that includes other brands like Duty Free Shopper and Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. In financial results released last month, LVMH reported that retail revenues rose 30% in the year's first quarter.

"Sephora saw exceptional performance over the quarter and continued to gain market share," it says. "Momentum was particularly strong in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The brand continued to expand its distribution network, particularly in the United Kingdom where, already present online, its first store in London enjoyed an excellent start."

Sephora faces plenty of competition, however. Ulta continues to be one of the highest-performing retailers in the U.S., gaining market share as it continues its fast expansion.

It, too, has a new CMO, with Michelle Crossan-Matos joining the company early this year. The former Samsung Electronics America marketing leader oversees integrated marketing, creative operations, store design, public relations, consumer insights and retail media activities, and its extensive loyalty programs.