75
Estee Lauder, who’ve acquisitioned younger,
influencer-based brands like Urban Decay
and Too Faced, respectively, have seen much
success with.
Founded in 1932 by brothers Charles and
Joseph Revson as simple nail polish supplier
before expanding into a full line of makeup,
hair care, and skincare essentials, Revlon
was acquired by billionaire businessman
Ronald Perelman’s investment firm
MacAndrews & Forbes in 1985 and owns
nearly 87% of Revlon and its classic sister
brands Elizabeth Arden and Almay. Despite
its predominantly female customer base, the
brand has never appointed a female CEO
until now.
Dismissing nepotism played a factor in her
rise to her new executive role, Perelman
insists her twenty years of dedicated,
illustrious experience in strategic, leadership
roles at both Revlon and MacAndrews &
Forbes awarded her the prestigious position.
“I have a good sense of the company and
obviously the business itself,” she tells Fast
Company. Perelman began working for
Revlon in 1998, becoming a board member
in 2015.
P
erelman understands she has her
work cut out for her and realizes
an immediate, imperative shift in
innovative, strategic marketing is what’s
needed to level the playing field with
Revlon’s more successful rivals. Perelman
hinted at a complete overhaul of its digital
marketing mission and content trajectory.
As COO, she wanted to ramp up the
company’s overall digital presence, while
expanding its e-commerce footprint. As
the cosmetics company new CEO, Perelman
plans on continuing those ambitious efforts
by implementing an exclusive data and
analytics group and investing in a creative,
in-house content team.Photo: Debra and Ronald Perelman | philanthropy.com