Crikey

Australian cosmetics kingpin Mark Tucker has left his post at L’oreal, in what Crikey understands to be controversial circumstances.

On the eve of the Melbourne Fashion Festival — of which Tucker is a director and L’oreal the naming-rights sponsor — the long-time managing director has been shuffled out for imported Finnish executive Johan Berg.

The company is calling the move a “reorganisation of the Pacific region” in a statement that makes no mention of the departure of Tucker after a number of years with the iconic French brand.

But a spokesperson for L’oreal Australia confirms Tucker left the company last Friday while declining to comment any further on the circumstances. Crikey has learnt an internal investigation into the managing director led to his departure. Tucker could not be reached for comment.

Tucker is a favourite on the social circuit and a regular presence at fashion and society events, including Melbourne’s spring racing carnival which is heavily sponsored by L’oreal. He has been lavished by the publishing industry, particularly ACP Magazines with its stable of fashion titles, for holding the purse strings to the company’s lucrative advertising spend.

He was due to attend the lavish opening to the Melbourne Fashion Festival at Government House this Sunday — “the most anticipated fashion soirée of the year”. A spokesperson for the Festival told Crikey Tucker “is still on the board”.

Berg has been with the L’Oreal Group for 12 years, most recently as country manager for Finland. He is due to take up the post in May.

In the statement Berg said: “I look forward to working with the experienced Australian and New Zealand teams, meeting our customers and getting to know the local markets.”