Chanel Names New Head of US Brand and Communications

For its newly created US head of brand and communications role, Chanel has enlisted a beauty veteran.

Katie Welch, the chief marketing officer at Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, will take the department’s helm on Jan. 5. She will also join the luxury label’s US management committee.

A seasoned beauty executive, Welch previously served as the general manager for beauty at The Honest Company and chief marketing officer at Hourglass Cosmetics, where she worked prior to and after the makeup brand’s acquisition by Unilever. She will be overseeing integrated brand and company communications for the entire Chanel brand in the US, including beauty and fashion. She will report to Chanel US president Stéphane Blanchard.

Welch remains at Rare Beauty until next week and will be based in New York for the new position. Communications at Chanel in the US are currently being overseen in an interim capacity by Adina Kagan, head of strategy and transformation, who will remain in her current role.

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