Ray Patrick of Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. to Retire

Lynda Rose Named New General Manager

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 18, 2014) - Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd., a top beauty brand and direct seller, announces the retirement of General Manager Ray Patrick after 34 years of service. Vice President of Sales & Marketing Lynda Rose will assume the role on August 1st.

Under Ray's leadership, Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. has grown into one of the top direct selling and cosmetics companies in the country. Joining the Company at the Director level, Ray was appointed President of Mary Kay Canada only six years later.

In 1993, he relocated to the corporate headquarters in Dallas, where he was named President of the Americas region, overseeing operations in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. In 1995, he assumed the position of Chief Administrative Officer. In two short years, he was named Executive Vice President of Global Sales Operation Support, which awarded him responsibility of Distribution, Customer Support Services, Inventory Management, Global Operations Support and Information Services Technology. In 1999, Ray was promoted to Chairman of International, where he was responsible for the direction and planning of existing international markets and new market development. In 2002, Ray's path once again turned north, where he would resume the role of country head of Mary Kay Canada.

Under Ray's strategic vision, Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. has experienced financial success and has received multiple accolades: the Mississauga Board of Trade's Outstanding Business Achievement Award, fourth place in the Queen's Centre for Enterprise Development, and Hewitt Associates survey of Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada. Ray also has been personally honoured, being named the Business Person of the Year by the Mississauga Board of Trade, receiving the Ivan P. Phelan award, the most prestigious award in direct selling, and in 2012, receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, to name a few. Most recently, Ray was awarded the Fellow of Certified General Accountants Association (FCGA) for having made an outstanding contribution to the community, industry and the accounting profession.

He says, "As I reflect back over my 44-year career in the direct selling/cosmetic industry, the last 34 of those years working with Mary Kay, I can honestly say that I look forward to retiring, with the comfort of knowing that I will always be proud to have been part of an amazing company and the industry. I have many fond memories and highlights but one of the most gratifying was to witness the personal growth and financial success of thousands, upon thousands, of individuals around the Mary Kay world. I have truly learned that when one sets an audacious goal, creates a plan and works that plan, they will enjoy success beyond their greatest expectation."

Ray is honoured to have represented Mary Kay as a member of Boards of the Direct Sellers Association of Canada (DSA), the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CCTFA) as well as its Foundation, the Look Good Feel Better® program, the U.S.A. Direct Selling Association and as a member of the Advisory Council and Ethics Committee of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations.

In the early years, Ray was a personal confidante to company founder Mary Kay Ash, and as a result, he has carried with him a true reverence for our past, a passion for our present and a vision for our future. His commitment to passing on Mary Kay's legacy will be celebrated for many generations to come.

"I have personally witnessed the growth and success of the cosmetics industry over the decades. I firmly believe that both Mary Kay and the industry have yet to see its best years ever. If business is conducted as Mary Kay Ash would say 'in the Mary Kay way', then the future is brilliant," ends Patrick.

Lynda Rose will succeed Ray Patrick on August 1st, 2014 as General Manager of Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. Lynda currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and has worked at Mary Kay for 16 years.

With more than 25 years in sales, sales education and sales management in the cosmetics field prior to joining Mary Kay in 1998, Lynda started her Mary Kay career as Director of Sales Development and by August 2001 was promoted to Vice President of Sales Force Support. Proving her strong leadership skills quickly, in less than one year later, she was again promoted to Vice President of Sales & Marketing, leading the sales development and marketing teams and travelling the country to mentor women experiencing success with their own Mary Kay business.

A true brand ambassador, Lynda is known for her commitment to living the Mary Kay way, elevating Mary Kay as a beauty brand, and sharing the viability of Mary Kay as a business opportunity. Lynda's close involvement with the Direct Sellers Association of Canada (DSA), and direct selling as a whole, has led her to make great strides in improving entrepreneurship opportunities for women across the country -- a cause to which she is devotedly dedicated.

Lynda has provided her leadership as Chair of the DSA Board and as a result in 2010, she was also honoured with the Ivan P. Phelan award. She was also one of four Mary Kay employees who received the distinguished Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for their significant contribution to the direct selling industry. Today, Lynda serves on the Boards of the DSA, the CCTFA and its Foundation.

She says, "Both Mary Kay Ash and Ray Patrick have set a course for us to follow and one that I pledge to honour and to uphold. I'm excited and ready to assume this new role because of Ray's perpetual and positive leadership, and because the company has an amazing independent sales force that believes in the product and the Mary Kay opportunity. Together, we can accomplish anything."

About Mary Kay

Irresistible products. Positive community impact. Rewarding opportunity. For more than 50 years, Mary Kay has offered it all. With 3 million Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants and $3.5 billion in global annual wholesale sales, Mary Kay is a top beauty brand and direct seller in more than 35 markets around the world. Discover what you love by connecting with a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant in your area at marykay.ca.