Paul Ireland

Consumer Fragrances

Global

“Be bold, be brave, and be different. Challenge the creative process.” This is the advice Paul Ireland gives to perfumers seeking to compose the cult fragrances of tomorrow.

Soon after graduating from the University of Birmingham (UK) with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Geography, was hired as a business trainee by PZ Cussons, a major British manufacturer of personal healthcare products and consumer goods.

There, he gained experience in purchasing and marketing, before moving on to product development. But above all, he discovered the power of the fragrance experience in driving customer loyalty. “The fragrance is the lasting embodiment of the brand that the consumer chooses to become part of their personal brand”, he says.

It is this conviction that has driven Paul for the past 19 years at Takasago, where he held positions in Global Account Management, before becoming Corporate Vice President.

To him, the industry continually presents new opportunities. Today, he is especially impressed by the determination and enthusiasm of young professionals in emerging markets: tomorrow’s fragrance creators and innovators.

As for his personal olfactory memories, the London-based Paul confides that he loves the smells of the beach on windy winter days, suffused with ozone and salt: they remind him of the stunning beautiful vistas of the northern English coast, close to where he grew up. Whether it comes in a beautifully designed bottle or from untamed Nature, scent always, ultimately, about emotional connection…

Jonathan Warr

Fragrance R&D

Global

After receiving a PhD in Physical Chemistry, Jonathan joined Unilever Research in the UK.

He moved to Marketing Innovation in 2000, primarily supporting the European Laundry Detergent Category.

In 2003, Jonathan joined Takasago in Paris, France to create and lead our European R&D team where he still works today.

Luiz Lutfi

Consumer Fragrances, Global

Luiz began his career in the fragrance industry in 2001 and joined Takasago in 2013, initially based in Brazil. His journey with the company has since taken him across continents, culminating in his relocation to the United States, where he has taken on a series of global commercial leadership roles. Over the years, Luiz has played a role in driving strategic partnerships, perpetuating revenue growth and fostering innovation across global teams.

With over two decades of experience in the fragrance industry, Luiz is a dynamic, results-driven leader known for his collaborative approach and deep understanding of global markets. He thrives in diverse cultural environments and is passionate about creating meaningful connections between brands and consumers through scent design and innovation.

“I believe in the power of curiosity, creativity, and human connection to inspire innovation. Working in an industry that blends science and emotion is a privilege, and I’m proud to contribute to the stories we help our clients tell through fragrance.”

Jelena Le Breton

Consumer Insight Marketing Research

Jelena Le Breton joined Takasago in December 2019 as the Global VP of Consumer Insights and Marketing Research, Fragrances.

Jelena is a highly skilled consumer insights professional with over 20 years of experience stemming from the CPG side, having  been in various insights roles at Colgate, L’Oreal and Avon.

A strategic consumer insights leader, Jelena has a passion for building brands  and uncovering unmet needs by developing an in-depth understanding of people and their relationship with brands and products.

She has held regional and global roles. Jelena has worked closely with Marketing, Innovation, and R&D teams, guiding their efforts in making more relevant products and being people centric.

Jennifer Powderly

Marketing

Jennifer joined Takasago in June of 2018 as the Vice President of Home and Personal Care Marketing based in Rockleigh, NJ.

Jennifer spent the previous 7 years also on the supplier side as the Vice President of Marketing at Robertet leading the team over all CPG categories including Fine Fragrance and HPC.  While at Robertet, she was instrumental in expanding their global CIMR capabilities.

Prior to Robertet, Jennifer gained extensive marketing experience in a variety of U.S. and Global positions at Bath & Body Works, Avon, Elizabeth Arden and Guerlain.

Jennifer is a strategic, creative, insight driven senior marketing executive who is incredibly curious about people, culture, technology and fragrance.

In her free time Jennifer enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors as much as possible and working on home improvement projects.

Stéphane Zwaans

Procurement

As far as he can remember, Stéphane has always been fascinated by the science of procurement. “I’m driven by the need to understand supply chains inside-out and get closer to source. Going upstream brings competitive advantages and business opportunities while optimizing costs. I can’t stand throwing money out of the window!”, he quips.

Stéphane started his procurement career 30 years ago in the food industry with Mondelez, where he developed expertise in chocolate/cocoa markets.  In the Ivory Coast, he was one of the first to set up and manage a cocoa sourcing operation upcountry buying directly from local farmers. This was in 2000 for Cargill. Since then, chocolate and sourcing have been a passion. And the perfect introduction for the next logical step in his career…

In 2002, when he went to work for Givaudan, where he was successively Head of Global Fragrance Procurement, Head of Global Procurement and Head of Natural Ingredients Origination, he fell in love with the flavors and fragrance industry. “I’ve never stopped loving the business since”, he says.

Today, Stéphane heads Strategic Procurement Initiatives for Takasago, a position he has held since 2018 and that has taken him from the lavender fields of Provence, where he spearheaded a ground-breaking, 10-year agreement with a leading farmers’ cooperative, to the patchouli harvests of Indonesia.

“There, I had a very good surprise”, he remembers. “I discovered that Takasago had already set up an infrastructure for the procurement and processing of patchouli oil 40 years ago. The most surprising thing is that for three years I was very regularly in Indonesia for sourcing raw materials, without ever being aware of Takasago’s pioneering presence! It’s true that discretion is part of the Japanese character…”

During his tenure, Stéphane has successfully led high performing global procurement organizations and transformational procurement projects such as post M&A integrations, and strategic supplier alliances.

He has a passion for development and sourcing of unique natural ingredients in countries of origin. He was an early adopter of supply chain backward integration. Not only to master costs, supply, quality, but more importantly to weather the ever increasing climatic, social, and economic storms and address consumer’s expectations for improved traceability and sustainability.

Originally from the French Alps, Stephane and his family traveled the world. He designed, implemented, managed natural ingredients sourcing and manufacturing operations in Western Africa, Madagascar, and South-East Asia. He relentlessly strives to position Takasago Procurement as the partner of choice of farmers, creation, sales, and marketing teams. Amongst other strategic project he runs for Corporate Procurement, Stéphane is currently in charge of deploying “TaSuKI”, Takasago’s natural ingredient sustainable sourcing and manufacturing capabilities in countries of origin.

“Understanding and managing natural ingredients sourcing means having an open, constructive, well-balanced, and fair dialogue with producers. This is a prerequisite to establish long term mutual benefits. The times of short-term tactical gains is over.