Chanel Appoints Elisabetta Caldera as New Global Chief People Officer
Chanel has appointed Elisabetta Caldera, formerly the human resources chief at Dutch insurer Aegon, as its new global chief people and organization officer. The appointment marks a continuation of the executive leadership reshuffle at the luxury fashion and beauty company. Caldera, 55, will officially begin her new role next month, succeeding Claire Isnard. She will be based in London and report directly to Chief Executive Officer Leena Nair, joining Chanel's leadership team.
Caldera takes over from Claire Isnard, 64, who is retiring after more than 17 years of service at Chanel. Isnard's departure follows a period of transition under CEO Leena Nair, who previously led human resources at Unilever Plc. Nair has been focused on rebuilding the roster of top managers at Chanel as an older guard of executives retires from the company, which employed approximately 38,400 people last year.
The Italian executive brings extensive experience in human resources leadership. Before joining Chanel, Caldera served as the global chief human resources officer at Aegon Ltd. for more than four years, where she was also part of the insurer's executive committee. Prior to her time at Aegon, she spent 17 years at Vodafone Group Plc in various HR roles, until 2021 when she made the move to Aegon.
Chanel, renowned for its No. 5 fragrance, operates as a privately owned company. It is controlled by the billionaire brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, whose combined fortunes are estimated at approximately $43 billion each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. While founded in Paris, the company's headquarters are located in London. Chanel reports its financial performance once annually, typically in late May. For the fiscal period in 2024, the company reported that revenue fell 4.3% on a comparative basis, reaching $18.7 billion. Operating profit simultaneously slid by almost a third, attributed partially to heavy advertising spending and a rise in hiring.
