Beiersdorf AG's "Passion for Success" growth strategy, according to a company statement, enabled the company to successfully expand its global market share from less than 4% to 5% between 2004 and 2009. However, executive board chairman Thomas-B. Quaas recently discussed the changed market situation resulting from the global economic crisis and characterized it as the "new reality" when it comes to the outlook for further growth. This means the next few years will be shaped by uneven growth in global markets, changed trade structures, increasing consumer interest in low prices with an excellent price to performance ratio and intensified competition from private label manufacturers. In light of this, Beiersdorf's executive board has decided that,
effective May 1, it will be reorganized into three functional and three regional areas of responsibility. It has also decided to further develop its successful strategy, and two core elements (“Focus on skin care. Closer to markets”) have been defined.
"Fifty percent of the expected growth in the global cosmetics markets will occur in the skin care category," said Quaas. "This translates into excellent growth opportunities for Beiersdorf, because skin care has always been our core competence. With innovative product developments, flat organizational hierarchies and quicker decision processes, we will be able to respond to local consumer wishes even more flexibly and align ourselves even more precisely with the respective market development."
Quaas will remain chairman of the reorganized executive board, board member Pieter Nota will continue to be responsible for marketing and innovation, Bernhard Düttmann remains in charge of finance and will also take on the human resources portfolio. Markus Pinger will take responsibility for the Americas region, and continue to be in charge of the global supply chain. James C. Wei will head up the Asia region and a new board member will be named for the Europe region.
Peter Kleinschmidt, formerly the executive board member in charge of human resources and sustainability, will leave Beiersdorf after having served the company for 25 years.
In a separate announcement, Beiersdorf named Barbara Saunier as the new chief information officer (CIO). At the same time she will take over management of Beiersdorf’s IT affiliate Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH (BSS). Saunier currently heads the IT and logistics units at Tesa, a wholly owned Beiersdorf subsidiary.
