Laurent Kleitman has been appointed as group CEO of Mandarin Oriental International Limited effective Sept. 1. He will succeed James Riley who has been the group CEO of Mandarin Oriental since 2016 and will be stepping down.
Kleitman was most recently the president/CEO, Parfums Christian Dior, the largest luxury fashion beauty business of LVMH. He was responsible for the business globally, managing the luxury brand’s perfume, make-up and skincare categories.
Prior to joining LVMH in 2019, he was president of the consumer beauty division of Coty, a leading beauty company with a portfolio of well-known brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Prior to that, he spent 25 years at Unilever and held global and regional leadership roles covering the U.K., Europe and Asia, across its personal care, home care and food businesses.
Kleitman has led the creation and evolution of new and historic brands, as well as growth strategies focused on customer-centric innovation and experience, according to the company. He has also built digital platforms for brands, and expanded brands into new markets and new product lines.
“With Laurent’s leadership, we will continue to grow our global portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts and residences,” said Ben Keswick, chairman, Mandarin Oriental International Limited. “Building on Mandarin Oriental’s renowned legendary service, he will further evolve our brand for our guests—delivering 21st-century luxury hospitality and lifestyle experiences steeped in a rich and proud Asian heritage. I am delighted to welcome Laurent to Mandarin Oriental.”
He added, “I would like to thank James for his 30 years of valued service to the Jardine Matheson Group. I especially want to highlight his significant contribution as group CEO of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group over the past seven years. James has been instrumental in continuing to expand Mandarin Oriental’s development pipeline and elevating the Mandarin Oriental brand globally. James has also made substantial progress in embedding sustainability into the way in which we operate and make decisions at Mandarin Oriental. Today, Mandarin Oriental operates 36 hotels and nine residences in 24 countries and territories, and has a pipeline of 25 properties under development which are expected to open in the next five years.”
Riley will step down as CEO on July 31, but he will be available to support the management team until Kleitman begins on Sept. 1.