Cafeyn confirms Laurent Kayser as CEO and further strengthens its leadership team
Following the sudden death of Ari Assuied, former Founder and CEO of Cafeyn, the board of directors, chaired by Tom Alexander, has appointed Laurent Kayser as CEO and strengthened its leadership team:
- Marion Assuied, member of the board since 2020, becomes majority shareholder
- Aliza Jabès, founder and President of the Nuxe cosmetics brand, joins the board.
- Marc Vayssière, former CFO at Michelin, joins Cafeyn as CFO.
Paris, December 19th. Today, Cafeyn Group (“Cafeyn” or the "Company"), a leading online press and media distribution platform, announced the appointment of Laurent Kayser as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. This announcement comes after the news of the sudden and tragic death of Ari Assuied, Cafeyn’s Founder and CEO, in October. In addition, the Company today also announced that Marc Vayssière, former CFO of various Michelin Group branches, will join Cafeyn's management committee as CFO. Following Ari’s passing, his wife, Marion Assuied, became majority shareholder of Cafeyn, alongside Bregal Milestone, a leading technology growth private equity firm, who invested in November of 2020. Marion, a board member since 2020, will further strengthen Cafeyn by taking a leading role in the group’s strategic decision making. Finally, Aliza Jabès, Founder and President of leading cosmetics brand Nuxe, will join the board.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, Laurent served as Deputy CEO at Cafeyn. Having worked at Cafeyn since 2018, the board considered it a natural next step for Laurent to join as CEO. With his prior experience in banking and investing, Laurent will maintain the Company’s vision while working to continue to implement new strategies that will help Cafeyn accelerate its international growth.
Marion Assuied, Cafeyn’s majority shareholder, previously ran the international make-up company BY TERRY and then founded the wellness brand INUR Beauty. For three years running, she has been voted one of the 100 top leaders under 40 who play a role in the French economy (Figaro Choiseul ranking). Marion will put her experience of managing international companies and her marketing and sales expertise in the consumer sector to use for Cafeyn's development, notably in the ongoing acquisition, in partnership with Bonnier News, of the non-Nordic activities of Readly, in line with Cafeyn's ambition to establish the leading European platform with a dedicated audience of engaged users.
“Continuing Ari's mission was an obvious choice for me, as was ensuring I continue working alongside Laurent,” said Marion. “Access to a wide range of high-quality information and news is today more important than ever, and we believe that Cafeyn will play a key role in the years to come. Together, we intend to pursue the development of Cafeyn initiated by Ari over the last few years, in line with his vision and commitment".
"Marion, Bregal Milestone and I share a common vision for Cafeyn, and above all, realize the importance of media’s role in our modern society” added Laurent. “Together with our expanded management team, I will strive to further develop Cafeyn, working to create the European champion that Ari had been striving towards for the past sixteen years”.
Cafeyn also welcomes Aliza Jabès to the board of directors. As the Founder and President of the renowned cosmetics brand Nuxe, and member of Vivendi's Supervisory Board, Aliza is regularly honoured for her professional achievements and contribution to the economy. She will bring a fresh perspective to the company, as well as exceptional entrepreneurial experience and know-how in the development of high-profile consumer brands on an international scale.
Cafeyn’s management team will be further strengthened by Marc Vayssière, former CFO of various Michelin Group branches, as Chief Financial Officer. Marc will support Cafeyn's strategy of diversification and consolidation in the European market. Drawing on his M&A and business expertise in both B2C and B2B sectors, and the international dimension of his previous activities, he will play a key role in achieving Cafeyn’s ambition.
"In recent years, Cafeyn has demonstrated the quality of its service, both for users and for distribution partners, particularly telecom operators, who have fully integrated this type of player into their global strategy. I am delighted to welcome these new members to Cafeyn's Board and Management Committee, who will bring their expertise to Cafeyn's development, both in France and internationally. This is a major new step for the group", adds Tom Alexander, Chairman of the Cafeyn Board, founder of Virgin-Mobile, former CEO of EE (Orange UK).
Cafeyn has made great strides including consolidating its leadership position in the French market, extending its domestic franchise into children’s media with the acquisition of Kidjo, and further internationalizing through the development of its business in the UK and its acquisition of Blendle, a leading Dutch digital news and magazine kiosk. Today’s announcement and changes support Cafeyn's strategy to continue ambitiously developing its offering to publishers and users. The board will continue to expand in the coming months to support this ambition.
Contacts Presse :
Julia Aymé - j.ayme@cafeyn.co - 0699692704
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Appendix
Biographies Management
Laurent Kayser
Laurent Kayser graduated from Audencia in Management and from Strathclyde University with an MSc in Finance.
He worked for around ten years in banks and investment funds, notably in London in the technology sector.
Building on this international experience, he joined Cafeyn in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer. He then supported the company's strategic development and defined its expansion strategy, working in particular on the group's acquisitions (miLibris, Blendle, Kidjo...).
On May 12, 2022, he was appointed Deputy CEO of Cafeyn.
Since October 7, 2023, he has been CEO of the Cafeyn Group.
Marc Vayssière
Marc Vayssière graduated from Neoma in Management.
After an initial six years with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, he spent ten years as CFO of mid-sized organisations in the digital services (SaaS software) and engineering sectors, in France, the UK and Canada.
On his return from Montreal, he joined the Michelin Group as Chief Financial Officer of the worldwide BU dedicated to digital activities in mobility, tourism, gastronomy and travel. He supported the creation and strategic development of the organisation, and structured its global expansion and transformations, working in particular on acquisitions, reorganisations and ensuring positive value creation for the Group.
On December 11, 2023, he was appointed CFO of Cafeyn Groupe and joined the Management Committee.
Biographies Key Board Members
Marion Assuied
Marion Assuied holds a double degree in International Business Law from Assas University Paris 2 and Dauphine University Paris 11.
She spent over 15 years as a sales and marketing manager in France and abroad in the cosmetics industry, where she was in charge of negotiations with all major global retails players (Sephora, Douglas, Marionnaud, etc.).
She was also responsible for the international development of BY TERRY, the first independent French premium brand and a pioneer in skincare make-up. In 2014, she became CEO of the international brand, which has won several international awards (Prix d'excellence Marie Claire, CEW, etc.).
In 2022, she founded the wellness brand INUR Beauty, namely distributed by Walmart.
In addition to her management activities, she provides expert marketing and sales consultancy services in the consumer sector.
For three consecutive years, Marion Assuied has been voted one of the 100 top leaders under 40 who play a role in the French economy (Figaro Choiseul ranking).
Marion Assuied is the mother of three children.
Aliza Jabès
Aliza Jabès is a graduate of the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from New York University (NYU).
She began her career as a financial analyst for Eli Lilly (USA).
Returning to France in the early 90s, she took the entrepreneurial route and bought a Parisian cosmetology formulation laboratory: Nuxe. In just a few years, the brand established itself as one of the world's leading cosmetics companies, and became the No. 1 laboratory for natural skincare products in French pharmacies. With its 800 employees, the brand is now present in over 60 countries, and has 35,000 points of sale worldwide.
Nuxe's strategy in terms of innovation and industrial property has been recognized and rewarded twice by the INPI (Institut national de la Propriété Industrielle) in 2007 and 2011.
Among her various mandates, she was a member of the Supervisory Board of VIVENDI.
Aliza Jabès has received numerous awards for her personal and professional achievements:
- 2008: Knight of the Legion of Honor
- 2010: Ernst & Young national "Entrepreneur of the Year" award
- 2012: CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) "Achiever Awards”
- 2014: "Femmes en Or" award in the female entrepreneur category
- 2015: Nomination to the rank of Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite
- 2020: Promotion to the rank of Officier de la Légion d’Honneur
- 2021: Leadership” prize awarded by Challenges magazine’s Cercle du Leadership
Cafeyn board members
- Marion Assuied
- Aliza Jabès
- Tom Alexander
- Laurent Kayser
- Philippe Lautenberg
- Rob Hetherington
Cafeyn management team members
- Laurent Kayser, CEO
- Marc Vayssière, Chief Finance Officer
- Minh Tu Xuan, Chief Strategy Officer
- Fabienne Lefebvre, Chief Revenue Officer
- Raphaël Rodrigues, Chief Operating Officer
- Eric Coffre, Chief Content Officer
- Martin Poix, Founder and CEO of Kidjo
