Laurent Kleitman will take over as Group Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental International Limited on 1 September 2023, succeeding James Riley, who has held the position since 2016 and will be stepping down. Previously, Laurent served as the President and Chief Executive of Parfums Christian Dior, where he oversaw the luxury brand’s perfume, make-up, and skincare categories on a global scale.
Prior to that, he was the President of the Consumer Beauty division at Coty, a prominent beauty company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where he managed a portfolio of well-known brands in fragrance, colour cosmetics, and skin and body care. Before joining Coty, he spent 25 years at Unilever, where he held various global and regional leadership positions in personal care, home care, and food businesses across the UK, Europe, and Asia.
Throughout his career, Laurent has been focused on building iconic brands, creating and evolving new and established brands, and driving customer-centric innovation and experience strategies. He has also been instrumental in developing digital platforms and expanding brands into new markets and product lines.
Ben Keswick, Chairman of Mandarin Oriental International Limited, said, “With Laurent’s leadership, we will continue to grow our global portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts and residences. 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.”
“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 Chief Executive Officer 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 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.”
