Fable & Mane Appoints CMO and COO as Founder Steps Back
Ayurvedic haircare brand Fable & Mane has appointed Cécile Budge as Chief Operating Officer and Rose Pilato as its first Chief Marketing Officer, while
Fable & Mane has appointed Cécile Budge as Chief Operating Officer and Rose Pilato as its first Chief Marketing Officer. Co-founder Akash Mehta is stepping down from the CEO role to focus on his nonprofit, remaining involved as a co-founder alongside his sister Nikita Mehta.
Akash Mehta stated that leading the brand as CEO had been an incredible honor. He explained that part of being a founder is knowing when the business needs something different. "For me, this feels like exactly the right moment, both for Fable & Mane and for the next chapter of my own journey," he said. Mehta added that Budge has the leadership and operational experience to scale the brand while allowing the founders to stay connected to its vision.
Cécile Budge most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Nirvana Brands, Fable & Mane's holding company, which she joined earlier this year. Her previous experience includes senior leadership roles at Shiseido and P&G Beauty, and she served as CEO of Omorovicza Cosmetics. Budge said her focus will be on expanding the brand's reach. "My focus with the team will be to build on the brand’s unique positioning and relevance to reach new audiences globally and accelerate growth," she stated.
Rose Pilato was formerly the chief marketing officer at New York-based lifestyle and hospitality brand The Maker. She has expressed admiration for Fable & Mane's authentic storytelling and how it fuses haircare with Ayurvedic wellness into modern beauty rituals.
Brand Background and Market Presence
Founded in 2020 by siblings Akash and Nikita Mehta, Fable & Mane is an Ayurvedic beauty brand now sold in over 1,250 retail doors across 33 markets. The brand draws on the siblings' childhood memories of their grandmother massaging their heads with plant oils. Its range began with a signature hair oil and has since expanded.
Key retailers include Sephora in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the U.K., as well as Selfridges, Cult Beauty, Nykaa, and Douglas. The brand is described as an eight-figure business. Nirvana Brands, the holding company for Fable & Mane, is owned by Dilesh Mehta, father of the founders. Dilesh Mehta also owns the French fashion house Patou and Designer Parfums.
Product Expansion and Consumer Appeal
The brand's bestselling product is the HoliRoots Hair Oil, priced at $38. It contains ashwagandha, dashmool, and castor oil to strengthen strands and promote hair growth. The lineup has grown to include shampoo, conditioner, masks, and styling products like the SahaScalp purifying scrub.
Fable & Mane recently launched a trio of hair and body fragrance mists inspired by different Indian cities and states. Cécile Budge will focus on building on the brand’s unique positioning to reach new audiences globally and accelerate growth.
