Threat to jobs as Gillette relocates to Geneva

Gillette is moving its entire central European marketing team out of the UK to Geneva in Switzerland, as part of its business restructure to focus on its retail business.

The European Gillette team is led by the European president Ed Shirley and the group business development director David Bashaw, who is the top marketer across all categories for Europe.

The UK team, headed by the general manager of UK commercial business Scott O’Hara will remain in the UK.

The European spokesman for the company says: “It is our sincere hope that people will move with the positions, and the company is in talks with all its European employees to make the transition a smooth one.”

He adds that a majority of Gillette’s European multinational retail clients are based in mainland Europe, so in order to forge closer links with them the company decided to move the European headquarters to Geneva.

The move includes all elements of Gillette’s European business, including finance and communication.

Earlier this year, Gillette promoted its North American head of commercial operations for male shaving Jeff Reilly to chief European marketer for its personal care division (MW January 17). Reilly reports to the Gillette European director of grooming Dwight Brown.