Following the announcement of a new creative director at Shiseido, M·A·C has revealed that Toni Lakis is returning to the brand as its new senior vice president, global creative director. The move comes as the brand struggles due to its reliance on ailing mall and department store locations and a demographic trend that demands a different strategy than competitors such as Sephora.
Lakis will oversee all aspects of creative, including creative design, visual merchandising and design, store design, creative packaging, international retail and special events, brand messaging, creative services and art production.
“Creativity is the heart and soul of M·A·C ..."
“Toni’s modern sensibility and creative vision will illuminate new dimensions of M∙A∙C to capture the hearts of new and loyal beauty enthusiasts everywhere,” said Demsey.
Lakis will join the M·A·C leadership team and report to Karen Buglisi Weiler, global brand president, M·A·C. She will also have a matrix reporting line into John Demsey, executive group president, The Estée Lauder Companies, who leads the company’s creative center of excellence.
Lakis succeeds celebrated global creative director, James Gager, who will begin a new role at The Estée Lauder Companies, effective May 1, 2017. He will become senior vice president, creative director and brand development, The Estée Lauder Companies, consulting on special creative projects and acting as an adviser to the Jo Malone London creative team.
Gager will report to Demsey for special projects and to Jean-Guillaume Trottier, global brand president, Jo Malone London, for his brand responsibilities.
“James has made remarkable contributions to each of the brands that he has touched, most notably, M·A·C,” said Demsey. “He helped make M·A·C the number one makeup brand in the world today, bringing beauty enthusiasts everywhere widely-admired and aspirational innovations impacting the entire cosmetics industry.”
“Creativity is the heart and soul of M·A·C, and Toni’s vitality and experiential mindset will help M·A·C achieve its next chapter of growth,” said Karen Buglisi Weiler. “We are delighted to welcome Toni back to the M·A·C family.”
