Estee Lauder's Israel Assa Steps Down; Olivier Dubos Appointed Successor

Israel Assa, the esteemed Global President of Travel Retail Worldwide at The Estee Lauder Companies, is stepping down from his role effective immediately.

The American beauty giant has been with Assa for an impressive 23-year journey which concluded in May 2022 when he was named the leader of travel retail. He will aid the new guidance through transition within the rest of the fiscal year which ends on June 30.

A renowned industry figure, Olivier Dubos, has absorbed most of the positions as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for Travel Retail Worldwide. 

He will now be heading the travel retail organization globally and will oversee the leadership teams across New York, APAC, EMA, and Americas. He is expected to remain somewhat crisscrossed between Switzerland, Singapore, and New York spending some time perennially with teams worldwide. 

Along with this major change comes a series of challenges affecting the North Asia travel retail business, primarily due to the Hainan and South Korean markets, and also due to declining Chinese spending on skincare. 

At the commencement of the month, Dubos had also joined The Estee Lauder Companies in June as a Strategic Business Advisor.

Prior to this, Dubos served as Chief Commercial Officer Global for LVMH-owned Fresh, after an impressive five-year tenure as Senior Vice President of Travel Retail Worldwide for Parfums Christian Dior, completing a successful 11-year career with the company.

Earlier in his career, he was the General Manager of L'Oreal Luxe Travel Retail in the Asia-Pacific region.

Announcing the changes in an internal memorandum, The Estee Lauder Companies Group President, International Peter Jueptner said: “Israel’s 23-year career within travel retail at The Estee Lauder Companies has included leadership positions of increasing responsibility in New York, Miami and Zurich, and his leadership has dramatically increased the channel’s size, sophistication and importance to the enterprise.”

He added: “Israel has played an important role in shaping the evolution of the travel retail business, and his many contributions to the channel and the wider enterprise will be remembered. Please join me in congratulating him on his many achievements, and in wishing him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Commenting on Dubos’s appointment Jueptner said: “Olivier has extensive global experience in the prestige beauty space, specifically in its intersections with the complexities of the Chinese consumer market.

“Olivier’s profound knowledge of consumer and traveller behavior, his drive in enhancing market presence and attention to expanding product offerings, as well as his consolidated relationships with key stakeholders in the APAC and China markets, will be instrumental assets in leading the Travel Retail Worldwide team forward into its next chapter.”