| Patrice Louvet | |
| Native Name Lang: | French |
| Birth Date: | 1964 |
| Birth Place: | Saint-Cloud, France |
| Alma Mater: | ESCP University of Illinois |
| Occupation: | Business executive |
| Years Active: | 1989-present |
| Boards: | Bacardi Limited |
Patrice Louvet (born 1964) is a French American business executive.[1] The CEO and president of the Ralph Lauren Corporation[2] [3] [4] since July 17, 2017,[5] [3] he began his career at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1989, where he held numerous executive roles across Northeast Asia, North America, and Europe. In 2015 he became group president of P&G's global beauty[6] and hair care units, a role he held until June 30, 2017. He currently serves on the board of Bacardi Limited.
Patrice Jean Louis Louvet was born in 1964 in Saint-Cloud, France,[1] spending his youth in both France and the United States. In 1986, Louvet graduated from ESCP Europe with a master's degree in business administration (MBA) and earned a second MBA from the University of Illinois in 1987. During his graduate studies, he served as a marketing professor for undergraduate students and authored the book Overcoming Barriers to Entering the US Market.[7] From 1987 until 1989, he briefly served as a naval officer and aide-de-camp to an Admiral in the French Navy.
In 1989, Louvet joined P&G’s marketing department in France and was appointed marketing director for Pantene’s global franchise in Cincinnati, Ohio ten years later. In 2002, he moved to Japan[7] to become P&G's general manager for health care and hair care in northeast Asia,[8] returning to North America[7] to spend four years in P&G's hair colorant division.[9] In 2005, he became vice president of global hair colorants, running the Clairol[10] and Wella brands from Stamford, Connecticut.[7]
In March 2008 he transferred to Geneva, Switzerland[7] to serve as the vice president of future strategy and growth for the Global Prestige Products unit of Procter & Gamble. From 2010[11] to 2011, he served as president of the global prestige products unit, overseeing fragrances,[9] skin care, cosmetics, hair care, and grooming,[7] with brands such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Rochas,[12] and Lacoste.
In 2011, Louvet was named president of global shave care for P&G,<ref name=PG-dot/> overseeing Gillette Company,[8] and two years later group president of global grooming and shaving. The role gave him oversight of the company's grooming brands, including Braun electric razors, Venus razors, and the global Gillette shaving business.
In 2015, P&G appointed Louvet to group president of the company's global beauty[6] and hair care units. Louvet remained in this role following Coty Inc.’s acquisition of Procter & Gamble's perfume, hair care and make-up US businesses in July 2015.[9] In this role, he oversaw 12 brands in the global beauty unit, including Head & Shoulders, Pantene,[2] Olay,[13] and Old Spice, which generated about $11.5 billion in combined revenue in 2016.[1] By early 2017, Louvet had worked in six of P&G's 10 product categories.
In May 2017, the Ralph Lauren Corporation selected Louvet as its future CEO and president, effective July 17.[14] [3] Louvet also joined the Ralph Lauren board on July 17.[2] With the appointment, Louvet became the third appointed CEO in the history of the Ralph Lauren Corporation. Founder Ralph Lauren stepped down as CEO in 2015 and remains as executive chairman and chief creative officer. Stefan Larsson became CEO in 2015,[1] [14] [15] but after he announced his resignation in February 2017, chief financial officer Jane Nielsen was appointed interim chief CEO[4] on May 1 while the company searched for a successor.[4]
Louvet stated plans to retire from P&G on June 30, with P&G saying it would name a successor to lead its beauty division at a later time.[1] As the new Ralph Lauren CEO, Louvet reports to executive chairman and creative director Ralph Lauren[1] [16] [4] and the company's board of directors.[17] Lauren stated that he was "thrilled"[2] about "finding the right partner to work with me," citing Louvet's “collaborative working style, transformation experience and intense focus on results.”[13]
As of May 2017, Louvet is based in the New York area.[1] He and his wife Christine have two children.[16]