Establishment of R&D Organization and Formation of Production-Sales Triangular Team
Full-Scale Expansion into Overseas Markets Including Europe Starting with North America
Kolmar Korea announced on the 16th that it has appointed President Huh Yong-cheol as the CEO overseeing its North American subsidiary (Kolmar Laboratories) and its U.S. subsidiary (Kolmar USA).
Philippe Warnery was appointed as Global Chief Commercial Officer (GCCO), and George Rivera was named Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of the North American subsidiary. Park In-gi was appointed as the head of the North American subsidiary’s R&D center, connecting the Korean and North American markets.
The key point of this personnel appointment is that, to fully enter the North American market, Kolmar Korea has put forward a large number of professionals with extensive experience in the global cosmetics market. By deploying global cosmetics market experts at the forefront, the company aims to accelerate its overseas market expansion. To this end, Kolmar Korea established a research and development (R&D) organization overseeing the North American market, appointed a head of R&D, and built a production, sales, and R&D triad to target the local market.
President Huh Yong-cheol, newly appointed CEO of the North American subsidiary, is a global ODM business veteran who has overseen the production of basic and color cosmetics at Kolmar Korea. Recently, he served as co-president of Beijing Kolmar and Wuxi Kolmar, driving the growth momentum of Kolmar’s business in China. Before joining Kolmar Korea, he was a factory manager at Amorepacific and CEO of Cosvision. As head of the North American subsidiary, President Huh plans to lead local business operations directly.
Philippe Warnery, appointed as Global Chief Commercial Officer, is a global cosmetics market expert who has served as CEO of Intercos North America, an Italian cosmetics ODM company, as well as the UK and Canada representative for Est?e Lauder. Based on his 25 years of experience and network in the cosmetics industry, Philippe Warnery will focus on celebrity sales, including global major brands, indie brands gaining worldwide popularity, and influencers.
George Rivera, appointed as Chief Scientific Officer of the North American subsidiary, is an expert who has demonstrated R&D expertise at global cosmetics companies such as L’Or?al USA and Intercos for over 20 years. Recently, as head of Kolmar USA, he led process and technological innovations. CSO George Rivera, together with Park In-gi, head of the North American subsidiary’s R&D center, plans to devote full efforts to R&D tailored to local market needs.
Director Park is an 18-year research expert who has played a role in adapting core technologies developed at Kolmar Group’s global R&D hub, the Comprehensive Technology Institute, to the local market. Based on data accumulated at the institute on color, formulation, and fragrance, he plans to analyze overseas market needs and focus on developing customized base formulations.
Through this personnel appointment, Kolmar Korea aims to maximize the operating rates of the North American subsidiary’s production facilities, including the first plant in the U.S. and the second plant currently under construction. To this end, the company plans to aggressively expand its sales network in the North American market. Given the popularity of K-beauty products sold in the U.S. through global distribution channels such as Amazon, Kolmar Korea also plans to actively pursue ODM sales emphasizing market accessibility and logistics efficiency for Korean small and medium indie brands seeking to enter the U.S. market.
A Kolmar Korea official said, “This personnel appointment reflects our determination to secure new momentum for targeting the North American market by placing professionals with expertise at the forefront. We will create growth engines through organic cooperation among sales, production, and R&D, and focus on expanding our influence beyond the Americas, including North America, to Europe.”
Meanwhile, Kolmar Korea proactively laid the foundation for global expansion by acquiring Kolmar USA (formerly PTP) and Kolmar Canada (formerly CSR) in 2016. In 2022, it secured exclusive rights to the ‘Kolmar’ brand trademark by acquiring 100% ownership, enabling unrestricted business operations under the trademark in the U.S. and global markets. Last year, the company expanded its sales network by opening the ‘North America Technology Sales Center’ in New Jersey, USA.
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