Wella has appointed Cindy Garas as Vice President of People, Performance and Culture. Hanold Associates’ Lisa Butkus and Jordan Blackmon led the search for this role based in New York City.
As Vice President of People, Performance and Culture, Cindy will serve as the HR Business Partner to a significant portion of Wella’s senior leadership, including the Chief Financial, Marketing and Technology Officers. Cindy will focus on implementing a structure to the people function that will best support the company’s future growth and ensure alignment in systems and processes. In this role, Cindy will report to Global Chief People Officer, Gretchen Koback Pursel, and lead a team of HR Business Partners. Prior to joining Wella, Cindy served as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Endeavor.
With roots dating back to the 1800s, Wella currently comprises 15 iconic brands including Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. These brands make an array of products and appliances for hair and nails, both for professional and at-home use. In late 2020, KKR purchased a majority stake in Wella from Coty Inc. for $2.5 billion, creating a new stand-alone company from Wella’s existing brands. Headquartered in both Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, Wella operates in more than 100 countries with ~6,000 employees.
