Throughout her career Pauline Brown has helped to acquire, build and lead the world’s leading luxury brands. In addition to serving as an Executive-in-Resident and Marketing Professor at Columbia Business School, she sits on the board of Neiman Marcus Group and run an e-learning platform called Aesthetic Intelligence Labs. The platform was built around an innovative concept she introduced in her breakthrough book, “Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond,” which was published by HarperCollins in 2019.
Pauline formerly served as the Chairman of North America at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, where she provided regional leadership for 70 brands in 5 sectors, including fashion & leather goods, watches & jewelry, perfumes & cosmetics, wines & spirits, and selective retailing. While at LVMH, Pauline also served on the Board of Directors of L Capital, a private equity fund backed by LVMH, as well as the Boards of several LVMH-backed companies.
In addition to her operational experience in the luxury sector, Pauline has been an active investor in luxury brands. Before joining LVMH, she was a Managing Director at the global private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, where she helped to build the firm’s consumer and retail practice. While at Carlyle, Pauline invested in and served on the boards of the European sportswear brand Moncler and American beauty brand Philosophy.
Earlier in her career, Pauline held senior executive positions at leading cosmetics companies, including The Estee Lauder Companies and Avon Products. While at Estee Lauder, she was in charge of all mergers and acquisitions and helped expand the company’s portfolio from 8 to 25 distinct beauty brands. She began her career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company.
Pauline received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and, since 2008, has been a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Photo credit: business.columbia.edu
