Seven months after Innovative Beauty Group (IBG) acquired brand and design agency Centdegrés, IBG CEO Xavier Leclerc de Hauteclocque announced the launch of Centdegrés North America and the appointment of David Barnes as CEO.

In this role, Barnes will lead the development and expansion of Centdegrés’ presence across North America. The goal is to strengthen integration across strategy, design, and product development.

The aim is to transform and extend the traditional agency model while advancing Centdegrés’ mission to be the leading brand builder and brand booster for beauty brands and retailers.

Barnes will oversee the agency’s creative, product design, and marketing teams across the region.

As CEO of Centdegrés North America, Barnes will focus on defining a clear regional vision, strengthening creative processes, and deepening the integration with IBG’s global innovation, product development, and commercialization teams.

Jennifer Raphael, CEO North America at IBG, said,

“David brings an exceptional combination of creative leadership and entrepreneurial vision. His ability to energize creative organizations and connect design excellence with commercial growth makes him the ideal leader to expand the Centdegrés agency footprint in North America.”

Barnes brings over two decades of experience in building and leading creative organizations. Over the course of his career, he has launched and transformed agencies, guided brand strategy and creative development for companies across beauty, lifestyle, real estate, and luxury brands.

Barnes commented, 

“Centdegrés brings something the industry has been missing — a more complete way to build brands. By working upstream into product design and development, we connect creativity and strategic thinking to what actually gets made and then how it goes to market — creating stronger, more meaningful brand experiences.”