L’Oréal names new Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, North America

By Amanda May | Published: 6-Aug-2026

The beauty giant has promoted Rahquel Purcell to Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, North America, succeeding Liliahn Majeed, who has decided to leave L’Oréal after three years of service

L’Oréal has promoted Rahquel Purcell to Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Officer, North America, effective immediately.

She succeeds Liliahn Majeed, who has decided to “pursue new opportunities” after three years of service at the French beauty giant.

Purcell will report to Alexis Perakis-Valat, CEO, L’Oréal USA and President, North America, and continue to sit on the management committee of L’Oréal USA and the global leadership team of Margaret Johnston-Clarke, L’Oréal’s Global DEI Officer.

For the past four years, Purcell has served as L’Oréal’s first-ever Chief Transformation Officer in North America, an office established in 2022 to “strategise, prioritise and coordinate a high-impact portfolio” of initiatives in the region.

She has been cited as having built the function from the ground up, establishing a strong team of experts and launching new organisational capabilities.

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“I am honoured to bring my experience leading operations, supply chain and transformation to help advance the L’Oréal culture, and to connect strategy, people and execution to harness the value of difference and drive business growth,” said Purcell.

“We have phenomenal products, leading innovation capabilities and best-in-class consumer insights.

“And I am eager to partner with our brands and leverage these core assets to create authentic connections with diverse consumers and communities.”

Purcell has a strong career in leadership roles for high-profile beauty companies.

She joined L’Oréal USA in January 2016 as VP, Supply Chain North America, after a 23-year career in supply chain operations at Procter & Gamble, both in the US and Europe.

In 2017, Purcell was promoted to L’Oréal’s SVP, Supply Chain North America, and joined the management committee of L’Oréal USA, with the aim of transforming the company’s supply chain in the states.

Purcell was then appointed Chief Operations Officer, North America, in 2020 to respond to the disruptive business conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

During this time, Purcell and her operations teams were described as having “successfully navigated market shutdowns, e-commerce accelerations, a global supply chain crisis and labour shortages to ultimately deliver significant growth”, read a company statement.

Commenting on Purcell’s appointment, Perakis-Valat said: “Beauty consumers, in their infinite diversity, aspire for products made for their unique needs from brands that connect to their values and identities.

“Our talented teams at L'Oréal are inspired by a work environment that welcomes different contributions to our shared ambition of creating the beauty that moves the world.

“I am confident that Rahquel’s operational expertise, business acumen, and transformational leadership will help us continue to foster an innovative and inclusive culture for our teams, and accelerate our progress in this high-priority area for our company.”