"Edgewell has a diversified portfolio of strong consumer brands, impressive intellectual property, strong R&D capability, and a talented team that has momentum,” says Eric O’Toole in his recent remarks to the press.
“It is a powerful foundation for further innovation and consumer-centric brand building,” adds O’Toole. “I look forward to working with [CEO] Rod [Little] and the team to capitalize on our opportunities and to create a world class CPG company that drives sustained growth.”
Eric O’Toole is the new President North America at Edgewell Personal Care
O’Toole’s background is in marketing, consumer goods, and retail. He was most recently General Manager of Sporting Goods for Walmart Global eCommerce. And has held leadership roles at Danone, Kraft, and Nabisco.
“We are very excited to welcome Eric to the Edgewell leadership team,” says Little, noting that, “Eric has had an impressive career spanning branding, sales and marketing and other key executive roles across leading global consumer packaged goods companies as well as the largest retailer in the world.”
Add he goes on to suggest that the Edgewell Personal Care brand and product mix will evolve under O’Toole’s leadership: “His extensive experience and digital expertise will be instrumental as we continue to innovate, reshape our portfolio and build a next generation consumer products company,” says Little. “I am confident we will benefit from his background and expertise as we execute against our growth and value creation strategies.”
A snapshot of the Edgewell Personal Care business as O’Toole joins the team
Edgewell Personal Care came on to the scene in 2015 when the Energizer Holdings Company spun the grooming and personal care brands off into a separate business from the well-known Energizer battery business.
Today, like so many publicly traded companies, Edgewell has withdrawn its 2020 fiscal year outlook “due to uncertainty related to the duration and potential impacts of COVID-19.” And the company’s recent Q2 fiscal results reported net sales of $523m, a figure that’s down 4.3% year-over-year.
Still, Little takes care to credit the Edegewell team with setting the company in “a position of strong financial health” despite the current global health and financial crisis: “I am so proud of our associates who have gone above and beyond to ensure our operations and supply chain are functioning smoothly and ramping up where necessary to meet the needs of our customers,” says the CEO, adding, “Our manufacturing and distribution facilities around the world have remained fully operational which is a testament to the resiliency and agility of our team members.”
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Deanna Utroske is a leading voice in the cosmetics and personal care industry as well as in the indie beauty movement. As Editor of CosmeticsDesign.com, she writes daily news about the business of beauty in the Americas region and regularly produces video interviews with cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and packaging experts as well as with indie brand founders.
