Recently, Unilever has appointed Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson as the new CEO of its Prestige division, following the departure of Vasiliki Petrou, who left in June to pursue her own investment fund. Gasco-Buisson, a former executive at Pandora and Unilever alumna, brings over 20 years of experience in beauty and prestige. She will officially join Unilever on November 1, reporting to Priya Nair, President of Beauty & Wellbeing.
Gasco-Buisson, who holds a chemical engineering degree from Cornell University, most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Pandora. At Unilever, she previously led global personal care brands Axe and Lynx, demonstrating her expertise in both entrepreneurial ventures and established brands. Unilever expressed confidence that she is the right leader to guide Prestige through its next growth phase.
In a LinkedIn statement, Gasco-Buisson expressed excitement about returning to Unilever and leading its Prestige brands, which she described as “beautiful.” She also praised Petrou, her predecessor, for her leadership in building the division. Petrou, who created the Prestige division, played a key role in expanding Unilever’s presence in luxury beauty through a series of acquisitions, including Dermalogica and K-18 Biomimetic Hair Science.
The appointment comes as Unilever is reportedly considering divesting some of its bigger Prestige brands, like Ren and Kate Somerville, as part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and increase shareholder value. Despite a recent slowdown in the U.S. beauty market, Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing division saw 5.1% sales growth in the first half of the fiscal year, bolstered by strong performance in health, well-being, and prestige beauty categories.
