Coty is overhauling its governance with the appointment of five new independent directors, adding heavyweight experience from Shiseido, Procter & Gamble, Sephora, Campari Group, Ferrari, Bulgari, Pandora, Starbucks, Walmart, and JLL to support its next phase of beauty led growth. The refresh gives Coty a new Lead Independent Director, new chairs for its Remuneration and Audit & Finance committees, and signals a tighter focus on prestige fragrance, brand building, portfolio transformation, and financial discipline.
New Independent Directors and Key Committee Roles
The Board has appointed Carsten Fischer, Alia Gogi, Robert Kunze Concewitz, Maria Carla Liuni, and Stephanie Plaines as new independent directors. Robert Kunze Concewitz will chair the Remuneration Committee, Stephanie Plaines will chair the Audit and Finance Committee, and Carsten Fischer has been named Lead Independent Director, giving each of these seasoned operators formal oversight of pay, capital, and governance.
These additions sit alongside existing directors Markus Strobel (Executive Chairman and Interim CEO), Joachim Creus, Frank Engelen, and Patricia Capel, who all remain on the Board. Gordon von Bretten has stepped down as a director following his appointment as President of Consumer Beauty at Coty.
Beauty, luxury, and Retail Experience
Collectively, the new directors bring decades of experience across prestige beauty, luxury, and global consumer brands.
Carsten Fischer previously led a $4 billion plus international business at Shiseido as Representative Director and Corporate Senior Executive Officer, increasing its overseas sales ratio from 32% to over 53%, and earlier ran Procter & Gamble’s professional hair care business post Wella acquisition.
Alia Gogi is the former President of Asia at Sephora, where she built a 400 plus store network and omnichannel platform across 10 markets, and previously held senior merchandising roles at A.S. Watson, Nestlé, and J Sainsbury.
Robert Kunze Concewitz spent 17 years as CEO of Campari Group, tripling sales and completing more than 25 acquisitions, and brings prior prestige beauty marketing experience from P&G, along with current board seats at Carlsberg and Imperial Brands.
Maria Carla Liuni, now Chief Brand Officer at Ferrari, formerly served as CMO of Pandora and held senior roles at Bulgari within LVMH, after over 16 years at P&G Prestige steering global P&L for fragrance portfolios including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss, and Alexander McQueen.
Stephanie Plaines is an ex Global CFO of Jones Lang LaSalle, and former CFO of Starbucks U.S. Retail and Sam’s Club eCommerce at Walmart, with a track record that includes leading JLL’s largest ever acquisition and overseeing the integration of Jet.com into Walmart; she currently sits on The Clorox Company’s board and has previously served on Nielsen and KKR Acquisition Holdings boards.
“This Board refreshment marks a defining step in Coty’s strategic evolution,” said Markus Strobel, Executive Chairman of the Board and Interim Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased to welcome an exceptional group of leaders whose experience spans some of the world’s most respected beauty, luxury and consumer companies. At a time when both the beauty market and Coty are rapidly transforming, these directors bring valuable new perspectives alongside proven expertise in prestige fragrance, global brand building, portfolio transformation and financial discipline. Together with our existing Board, they will further sharpen our strategic focus, strengthen execution and drive sustainable value for our shareholders.”
Departures and transition
As part of the reshuffle, directors Beatrice Ballini, Isabelle Parize and Anna Adeola Makanju have resigned from the Board effective immediately, while Robert (Bob) Singer will step down on June 30, 2026, after continuing to serve on the Audit and Finance Committee through the transition. Strobel thanked the outgoing directors, noting that their counsel had been valuable as we strengthened the Company’s financial position and advanced our strategic priorities during a period of significant change for Coty.
Why this matters for Coty’s next chapter
The Board revamp comes as Coty works through its own multi year transformation, leaning into prestige fragrances, premium cosmetics, and skin care, deleveraging its balance sheet, and rebalancing its brand portfolio. Recent earnings show the company reducing net debt and leverage to the lowest level in close to a decade, while investing in areas such as AI adoption through a new collaboration with OpenAI to support marketing, operations, and cross functional productivity.
By aligning its Board with leaders who have run large beauty P&Ls, executed cross border M&A, scaled omnichannel retail, and overseen finance at complex global companies, Coty is signaling that it sees governance as a strategic lever, not just a compliance necessity, as it pursues its next phase of growth.
