Fondu To Retire From L’Oréal USA

 L'Oréal USA reports the retirement of Karen Fondu, president of L’Oréal Paris USA, after a remarkable 37-year career within L’Oréal. Her retirement will take effect at the end of the year.
 
“Karen Fondu is a highly dedicated and passionate professional who has devoted her entire career to L’Oréal,” said Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO of L’Oréal. “Her strategic vision and expert knowledge of building brands and infusing them with inspiration and ambition has made her one of the most recognized and admired professionals in the beauty industry. I want to honor with respect, admiration and affection a very great lady of the L'Oréal organization and wish Karen every happiness and success in this new life that lies ahead of her.”
 
In 1979 Fondu began her L’Oréal career as a sales representative selling hair colorants before progressing rapidly in the company. She became key account manager and then district manager of L’Oréal Mid Atlantic before being appointed regional manager of L’Oréal West Coast and moving to California in 1982. She then returned to New York in 1984 to pursue her sales career on a national level.
 
In 1992, she became vice president, sales of L’Oréal Cosmetics Division, which included L’Oréal Paris and later Maybelline, where she played an important role in the integration of this new acquisition into the L’Oréal Group and its ascent to the number one position in the U.S. In 2000 she was promoted to the position of deputy general manager, Maybelline New York/Garnier and in 2002 she became president, Maybelline New York/Garnier. She continued to pursue its expansion before being made president of L’Oréal Paris USA in 2008.
 
Ikdeep Singh will replace Karen Fondu as general manager for L’Oréal Paris USA. He has been the president of L’Oréal Canada’s Consumer Products Division since July 2014. Before joining L’Oréal in January 2014, Singh had a very successful career with P&G. He started his adventure there in 2000 and held multiple commercial and marketing roles. His last assignment before he joined L’Oréal was the China general manager for all of P&G’s hair care brands where he accelerated growth for the division. Under his leadership, China became the single biggest contributor to P&G’s growth.