Sue Nabi Makes Hires at Coty, Edgar Huber to Exit the Business
Coty Inc.’s new chief executive officer Sue Nabi has made her first executive appointments — a chief commercial officer, luxury, and a chief digital officer.
At the same time, Edgar Huber, Coty’s chief commercial officer and a beauty veteran who has been with Coty since 2015, will exit the business.
Huber was instrumental in building out Coty’s luxury division, which currently licenses Burberry beauty as well as Gucci, Calvin Klein, Chloé and Marc Jacobs perfume. Before Coty, Huber ran both Lands’ End and Juicy Couture, and also worked at L’Oréal, leading the luxury division.
Nabi thanked Huber in a statement and called him “an experienced, respected leader.”
“I’m happy he will stay with us for several more months as we transition to our new leadership approach,” she added. He will work with Isabelle Bonfanti, who is joining Coty as chief commercial officer, luxury, during her first few months on the job.
Bonfanti is a L’Oréal veteran who worked in the company’s luxury division for 17 years across fragrances, cosmetics and skin care. Nabi called out Bonfanti’s experience growing brands in Asia and China, describing her as “a perfect fit for the role.” In addition to L’Oréal, she also spent 10 years with Hermès.
Jean-Denis Mariani, the former chief digital officer at LVMH-owned Guerlain, will join Coty as chief digital officer. In his prior role, he oversaw the digitization of Guerlain, which included accelerated global e-commerce efforts and digital marketing. He will start Nov. 1.
Mariani’s appointment comes as Coty’s e-commerce sales have accelerated. That trend is one that beauty companies have seen broadly as consumers continue to shop online during the coronavirus pandemic. Coty said that in the past few months e-commerce sales have more than doubled.
“One of the many seismic changes to our industry has been the meteoric rise of digital and e-commerce. Coty is now making strides in developing a digital offering that is truly best in class. Jean-Denis’ brand-building expertise and track record of success across the world makes him a fantastic addition to our executive leadership team,” Nabi said.
Both Bonfanti and Mariani will report to Nabi.
There are more executive appointments expected at Coty — the company said it plans to “update its consumer beauty commercial organization in the near future” and that it will appoint a leader for that segment. Coty’s consumer beauty operations, which include Rimmel and Cover Girl, have struggled in recent years.
For more from WWD.com, see:
Sue Nabi, Breaker of Glass Ceilings?
Sue Nabi’s Coty Will Focus on D-t-c and Good Beauty Products
Peter Harf Now Coty CEO, Plan Said to Include a Sense of Urgency
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