Kao restructures organisation to strengthen AEMEA business

Japanese beauty group Kao has created a new pan-regional organisational structure for its Functions and Operations to help strengthen its business in the AEMEA regions. 

The new structure will create more synergies and less duplications and complexity within the functions and operations across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. It also hopes to fuel business growth and create a "diverse, equitable and inclusive" workplace for the group's employees.

Guido Kirchhoff and Steve Cagle

Guido Kirchhoff will lead the newly created AEMEA Supply Chain organisation as President of Global Operations.

Kirchhoff is a supply chain expert, who has worked on several global assignments for beauty groups including Procter & Gamble and Wella. He joined Kao in 2004 as Global Supply Chain Leader for the salon business sector.

Kao has also appointed Steve Cagle as President of Global Functions. Cagle previously held leadership positions at Kraft General Foods, Alberto Culver and Helene Curtis. He joined Kao in 2000 and has since held various roles across the supply chain.

Both Kirchhoff and Cagle both led the functions and operations for their respective regions before taking on their newly created roles.

Karen Frank, President of Consumer Care Business AEMEA at Kao, said: "Both Guido Kirchhoff and Steve Cagle have a proven track record of leading and developing diverse and broad organisations. Their experience will help us to form a strong pan-regional AEMEA organisation to best support all of our three business sectors."