BAT vs L'Oréal

BAT 2026 Capital Markets Day

BAT hosts a Capital Markets Day for institutional investors and analysts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home of the Reynolds American business for more than 150 years and will outline BAT's Horizon 2030 ambitions

The Smokeless Word: Live from the Lab - Dr Charles Gardner

Dr Charles Gardner was once skeptical of tobacco harm reduction. Now he’s a tobacco harm reduction expert. He joins The Smokeless Word: Live from the Lab to discuss what changed his mind, the evidence shaping the debate, and why listening to people who have switched matters.

Hightouch Names Matthew Lubeck General Manager EMEA

Hightouch, a leader in data and AI for marketing, has appointed Matthew Lubeck as General Manager for EMEA. Based in London, Lubeck will lead all go-to-market functions across the region as Hightouch drives adoption of agentic marketing. The company reports over 100% growth in each of the past two years and recently closed a $150 million Series D. Hightouch already has offices in London and Paris, native-speaking teams across multiple European markets, and a new team in Dubai. Lubeck brings 20 years of experience, having previously launched and led Amperity's EMEA business and held leadership roles at L'Oréal and Estée Lauder. Hightouch's platform supports EU data residency and runs inside customers' data warehouses, with clients including Accor, HelloFresh, Currys, and Telenor.

• Hightouch appoints Matthew Lubeck as General Manager EMEA, based in London.
• Lubeck previously launched and led EMEA business at Amperity.
• Hightouch reported over 100% growth in each of the past two years.

L'Oréal rolls out internal GPT to 90,000 employees

In a podcast interview, L'Oréal's DACH CIO Arooj Humayun detailed the company's three-stage plan for integrating generative AI across its 90,000 employees. The plan includes awareness building, training, and tool deployment. To ensure data privacy and compliance with stringent German regulations, L'Oréal developed its own internal platform, L'Oréal GPT, which runs on-premise and uses vetted large language models. This prevents any data from leaving the company. Additionally, they use a tool called CreateTech for image generation. The company is now moving towards AI agents, dubbed 'Companions', which can execute actions like booking travel. Usage is measured via anonymized prompt counts. The initiative aims to empower employees in various departments, including finance, HR, and marketing, to automate repetitive tasks.

• L'Oréal has 90,000 employees.
• L'Oréal developed its own internal AI platform called L'Oréal GPT.
• L'Oréal GPT runs on-premise and uses vetted large language models.

Omnicom Media Group Wins L'Oréal's €350M Media Account

The Omnicom Media Group has won the media pitch for L'Oréal's €350 million account. The dedicated agency for the cosmetics giant will be named Beauty Co-Lab. The new agency is set to launch in January 2027. This follows the recent announcement that Wavemaker, the incumbent, lost the account. The article provides details on the agency structure and confirms the name of the new entity, but the full details are behind a paywall.