The company is set to entrust her with global leadership of talent strategy, employee development, labour relations, and organizational growth initiatives.

USA – Kimberly-Clark has appointed Stacey Valy Panayiotou as its new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), effective September 10, 2025.
Panayiotou will be responsible for the company’s global human resources functions, including talent recruiting, development, performance management, labour relations, compensation, and employee benefits.
According to the company, Panayiotou will report directly to Mike Hsu, Chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark, and serve on the company’s executive leadership team.
Panayiotou succeeds interim CHRO Viviane Cury, who will return to her prior role as Vice President, Talent Business Partner for North America.
Kimberly-Clark’s CEO praised her, stating, “Stacey is a transformational leader with a track record of aligning people strategies with enterprise growth.”
“Furthermore, her commitment to building people-first cultures that are both high-performing and caring aligns directly with our company’s values.”
She brings over two decades of global HR leadership experience from previous roles at Ball Corporation, where she was also CHRO, Graphic Packaging International, and The Coca-Cola Company, where she managed global and regional talent and HR functions.
Panayiotou expressed excitement about joining Kimberly-Clark, highlighting the company’s legacy of care for consumers, customers, communities, and its employees, and looks forward to enhancing workforce capabilities worldwide.
Kimberly Clark Q2 FY25 financial report
Kimberly-Clark recently reported USD 4.2 billion in net sales for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, reflecting a 1.6% year-over-year decline.
This dip was primarily driven by strategic divestitures, including its PPE business and private label diaper segment in the U.S., as well as unfavourable foreign exchange impacts.
However, organic sales rose by a solid 3.9%, propelled by a 5% increase in volume, marking the company’s strongest quarterly volume growth in five years.
Adjusted earnings per share came in at USD 1.92, surpassing analyst expectations by over 16%, though slightly down from the prior year.
Gross margin on an adjusted basis stood at 36.9%, a 180-basis-point decline year-over-year, reflecting inflationary pressures and volatility in input costs.
Operationally, it delivered 5.8% gross productivity and remains on track to achieve USD 200 million in SG&A savings for the year.
Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE.