Dive Brief:
- Sephora on Monday announced a new managing director of Greater China in Xia Ding, who joins the beauty retailer after five years as Nike’s vice president and general manager of e-commerce for Asia Pacific and Latin America. She reports to Asia President Alia Gogi, according to a company press release.
- Ding also has experience at JD.com as president of JD Fashion, where she oversaw apparel, jewelry and other categories, and spent more than two decades at HanesBrands. At the latter company, she was “heavily involved” in strategy and led its expansion into China.
- In her role at Sephora, Ding will oversee the beauty retailer’s mainland China and Hong Kong business, which the company said includes around 350 stores, two e-commerce sites and other apps and platforms. Ding is based in Shanghai.
Dive Insight:
Sephora is bringing on an executive with a wealth of e-commerce experience to lead one of its growth regions. The beauty retailer’s last head of Greater China, Maggie Chan, left the company earlier this year, per her LinkedIn.
“Xia Ding is a quintessential leader with a wealth of experience in running businesses, digital transformations, and strategic business development,” Gogi said in a statement. “I am confident that her skills set, knowledge of brick & mortar retail, expertise in digital and e-commerce, as well as her proven track record in building and sustaining profitable business will take Sephora Greater China into its next phase of growth and success.”
The appointment comes as Sephora continues to invest in the region. The retailer launched a “Store of the Future” concept in Shanghai last year, which featured personalized services, digital touchpoints, AI-generated makeup trends, tutorials and other experiential elements. The retailer also opened the format in Wuhan, China, last year.
"I am thrilled to join Sephora at a time where the prestige beauty market in China is at the cusp of its next phase of growth,” Ding said in a statement.
At the same time, Sephora is exiting its Korean business, which is set to wind down starting on May 6.
The beauty retailer has a host of new leadership, including a new CEO for its North America region, whose targeted start date was April this year. Sephora CEO Guillaume Motte is also relatively fresh, having taken over the role in January last year. Parent company LVMH reported that Sephora had its “best-ever performance” last year, though the luxury conglomerate does not break out specific finances for the retailer.
