Barbara Lavernos joined the L’Oréal Group in 1991 to pursue a highly-diversified career. After holding roles at two of the Group’s plants, including as Manager and Purchasing Manager, she was appointed General Manager of Purchasing. During her tenure, Ms. Lavernos positioned purchasing at the center of the Group’s strategic plan and set up a centralized purchasing department with 600 employees. Then, she conquered new territories and focused on commercial activities, taking over as General Manager of Travel Retail, of which L’Oréal is the pioneer and historical leader.
 
She joined L’Oréal’s executive committee in 2014, becoming the Group’s Chief Operating Officer. She now manages all factories, packaging laboratories, as well as purchasing and logistics, on a global scale. Her teams of nearly 20,000 employees worldwide manufacture and manage the entire supply chain of more than seven billion finished products per year. In 2018, Ms. Lavernos integrated all the information technology teams, and later was appointed to head a new Research, Innovation, and Technology Department, where she manages 4,000 researchers and over 3,000 IT and tech experts. She took on her role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2020.
 
Ms. Lavernos has been recognized as one of Fortune Europe's 20 Most Influential Women in Tech, WWD x FN x Beauty Inc 50 Women in Power, Forbes Top 40 Most Powerful Women, and as the 36th Most Powerful Woman in the World by Fortune.
 
The French Presidency appointed her a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2020.
 
She is a graduate of the École des Hautes Études d’Ingénieur.