Essity appoints former Estée Lauder and P&G executive Ilham Smaali as Chief Supply Chain Officer
Hygiene and health company Essity has appointed Ilham Smaali as Chief Supply Chain Officer. She will take up the role on 31st December, and will join the executive management team.
Supply chain enablement is a newly established function tasked with ensuring economies of scale in sourcing and fulfillment. It will also support functional transformation and standardised working methods for the decentralised production and supply chain.
Smaali has been with Essity since 2023, most recently in the position as Vice President Global Planning & Logistics. She previously held senior positions in manufacturing, logistics and planning at Estée Lauder, Nike and Procter & Gamble.
“I am very pleased to welcome Ilham Smaali as Chief Supply Chain Officer. Her expertise and broad experience, combined with her proven leadership skills, make her the right person to lead supply chain enablement at Essity,” says Ulrika Kolsrud, President and CEO at Essity.
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Supply chain technology was a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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