360° Product Development Service for world-class beauty products

EURO COSMETICS Magazine • 360° Product Development Service for world-class beauty products • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG
June 2024

A conversation with Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG (Innovative Beauty Group)

EURO COSMETICS: IBG was recently acquired by Fremman Capital, a European private equity firm What does this mean for IBG?
Xavier Leclerc: Since I created IBG with PAI Partners in 2019, the company has experienced exceptional growth with our revenues and number of employees increasing sixfold. This exceptional growth has been driven by a strategic, 50/50 mix of acquisitions that provide initial platforms and organic growth that leverages exceptional teams of entrepreneurs in all regions.
Well balanced between America and Europe, and with recent development in China, we have among the industry’s most diversified portfolio of customers and products. Creating IBG – a service business – in an industrial group was a real challenge, but thanks to PAI and Francois
Luscan’s support we achieved these ambitions and are approaching $300m in revenues.
The strategic acquisition by Fremman Capital opens a new chapter for IBG, as the company departs from its previous shareholder, Albéa Group. The transaction also marks a major milestone in the future development of IBG, enabling the company to accelerate its expansion and enhance its innovative capabilities.

EURO COSMETICS Magazine • 360° Product Development Service for world-class beauty products • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG
Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG (Innovative Beauty Group)

EURO COSMETICS: What are the points of contact with IBG’s core values and business practices?
Xavier Leclerc: Our Vision is to Be the Best partner Before Being the Biggest (5B) and a trusted partner for creating results-driven, trendy, innovative and bespoke products for customers, suppliers and employees.
Our Values are Integrity, Transparency, Teamwork, Agility, Innovation and Relationships. For example, Innovation, to us, means we start with our people and we want our teams to think differently, challenge assumptions, be curious, and both create and anticipate change. We encourage new thinking and believe that it is okay to fail as long as we learn quickly, and we have a governance to protect the customers from failures.

EURO COSMETICS: What concrete next steps are you driving within the group?
Xavier Leclerc: We are currently investing significantly with our new shareholder in transforming the operating model of the company, including digitalization of key areas to scale up our capabilities pertaining to project management, supply chain oversight, and quality & regulatory assurances.
In addition, we are redesigning our talent development platform with both Learning Management and Performance Management solutions to continue functioning at highest possible levels.
We are also reinforcing our partners ecosystem and engineering development capabilities to support more innovative solutions for customers amid an increasingly competitive market.

EURO COSMETICS: And what key markets does IBG now focus on?
Xavier Leclerc: IBG focuses mainly on retailers and masstige beauty brands. We are currently pushing our Restyle approach to help customers rethink complete product ranges, toward reaching their sustainability goals.
We are also significantly reinforcing our capabilities for masstige/prestige markets with a bespoke approach that reflects our ability to manage complex product ranges in restyling or new product launches.
In addition, we are reinforcing our capabilities in the fragrance category, plus developing innovative approaches for new selective retailers such as pharmacies.

EURO COSMETICS Magazine • 360° Product Development Service for world-class beauty products • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG

EURO COSMETICS: How is IBG addressing the subject of sustainability?
Xavier Leclerc: My vision is to contribute positively to society and the environment through creative solutions for beauty projects. We interact with three groups – our employees, customers and partner ecosystem – and we are committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives on the following levels:
1: With our internal IBG team and how we take care of them through training and community work.
2: With our products, and how we continue to innovate new sustainable solutions with less carbon footprint thanks to our design team and our “Raise the Bar” program with our partners.
3: With our planet and our ongoing commitment to do better every day in our supply chain processes and carbon reduction.

EURO COSMETICS: What does corporate social responsibility (CSR) mean to your company’s overall strategy?
Xavier Leclerc: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are two approaches that reflect a company’s efforts to conduct their business in a socially responsible manner. Although they share similar goals, they have distinct characteristics and focus.
The emphasis is on IBG’s efforts to improve society in some way. These efforts can range from implementing environmentally-friendly policies in the workplace, charitable activities, and training to measuring product carbon footprint and propose new design to our customers.

EURO COSMETICS: Thank you for the conversation.

EURO COSMETICS Magazine • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG • Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG
Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG

Xavier Leclerc, CEO of IBG, is known for his strategic vision and leadership. With a finance & business background, he successfully expanded IBG's global reach while emphasizing innovation, sustainability, and agility. He joined Albea in 2012 as group CFO, then EVP Americas. Prior, he began his career in beverage packaging at Crowncork, then Guerlain (LVMH) and Brakes in foodservice.

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