Ariana Grande’s R.e.m. Beauty selects new CEO

R.e.m. Beauty, Ariana Grande’s makeup brand, has named Michelle Shigemasa its new chief executive officer.

Shigemasa has served at various beauty companies in increasingly prominent roles over a career that spans 34 years.

Most recently, she held the CEO position and was an executive board member of Shani Darden Skin Care after also serving as CEO at Murad.

Prior to that, Shigemasa spent 13 years at Smashbox, in roles such as senior vice president and general manager, North America, as well as serving for eight years at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

Her appointment at Grande’s brand was unveiled by WWD, which the singer-turned-entrepreneur told in a statement: “Michelle’s deep expertise in beauty and commitment to purpose fits perfectly with my vision for R.e.m. Beauty and I’m so grateful that she’s joining our team.

“We have so much more in store in 2023 and beyond… We are only just getting started.”

The move comes weeks after Grande entered into a 15 million dollar agreement with R.e.m.’s previous licence holder Forma Brands to purchase the brand’s inventory and intellectual property after the beauty conglomerate filed for bankruptcy.