Book Now

Turning Sephora into a €16bn giant: The risks, mistakes and breakthroughs

Former Sephora CEO Chris de Lapuente on why businesses should only scale when the core is ready

Chris de Lapuente, former Executive at LVMH and CEO of Sephora, played a pivotal role in scaling the business from €2.5bn to €16bn during his 13 years at the helm of the beauty retailer.

He first met host Sir Richard Harpin at Procter and Gamble and shares reflections on their training which led to many successful business leaders. Chris describes how he grew Sephora, expanded globally and learned to be adaptable, as well as the mistakes that define his journey.

Also, what is it like to work with Europe’s richest man and CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault?

Topics covered:

  • Procter and Gamble
  • Work-Life balance
  • Transformation
  • Expansion
  • Retail brands and experience
  • High-performing teams
  • LVMH and Bernard Arnault
  • Tips for scaling businesses

More like this

Bark: The British tech platform helping small businesses

Kai Feller explains how he built Bark from scratch all the way to a £240m exit

Listen Here

Author

Dougal Shaw

Date

05 May 2026

BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby: Upgrading 'the world’s oldest telco'

Allison Kirkby is the CEO of one of the UK’s best-known brands, the BT Group, at a crucial moment. It’s under pressure to deliver on a “once in a generation” investment in broadband

Listen Here

Author

Dougal Shaw

Date

28 April 2026

Omaze CEO: Storytelling in business and conquering your fears

Matt Pohlson is the co-founder and CEO of sweepstake specialists Omaze, a rare example of a business idea born in the US that found success when it moved to the UK

Listen Here

Author

Dougal Shaw

Date

21 April 2026

Mitie: The CEO who flipped the org chart on its head

The leader of one of the largest employers in the UK shares his thoughts on leading large, public-facing teams

Listen Here

Author

Dougal Shaw

Date

14 April 2026

Belron and Autoglass: How Gary Lubner built a glass empire

How focusing on customers, insurers and employees built one of the world’s leading automotive service brands

Listen Here

Author

Dougal Shaw

Date

24 March 2026