Shiseido Names Desazars CEO of Nars Cosmetics

Shiseido International Corp., the U.S. group division of Shiseido Co., announced the appointment of Louis Desazars to CEO of Nars Cosmetics, effective Feb. 18, 2008. Desazars currently is the U.S. president of Beauté Prestige International (BPI), a Paris-based fragrance company owned by Shiseido. The successor to Desazars will be named at a later date.

“The appointment of Louis to the CEO position at Nars is in recognition of Louis’ achievements at BPI," said Shuichi Tanaka, chairman and CEO, Shiseido International Corp. "I am convinced that with [Desazars's] background and vision he will bring new ideas and energy to Nars to propel its growth both in the United States and internationally.”

Desazars began his career at LVMH with Parfums Christian Dior, holding various executive positions in the international division. He joined BPI in 1996 as vice president for Europe, and led the brands through eight years of growth and expansion. Desazars was promoted to U.S. president in July 2004.

Nars Cosmetics was founded by François Nars in 1994 and was acquired by Shiseido in 2000. The company is reportedly one of the fastest-growing brands in the Shiseido's U.S. group.
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