Coty has named Isabelle Bonfanti as Chief Commercial Officer Luxury and Jean-Denis Mariani to the newly created position of Chief Digital Officer.
Bonfanti and Mariani will report directly to Coty Chief Executive Officer Sue Y. Nabi.
Isabelle Bonfanti takes over as Chief Commercial Officer effective 1 November. She replaces Edgar Huber, who is stepping down after five years at the company. Huber will remain with Coty for several months to help Bonfanti’s transition.
Huber was also President of Coty’s Luxury division, where he helped establish Coty’s presence in the luxury sector, and was President of the Asia Pacific/Americas region.
Commenting on Huber’s departure, Nabi said: “I want to extend my thanks to Edgar for all the leadership and expertise he has contributed to Coty over the past five years. Edgar is an experienced, respected leader and I’m happy he will stay with us for several more months as we transition to our new leadership approach.”
Bonfanti brings 30 years of expertise in international brand development to her role at Coty. She previously held leadership positions in Hermès and in L’Oréal’s luxury division, where she worked for 17 years. She also has an excellent track record of growing brands in the Asia Pacific and China markets.
As Chief Commercial Officer, Bonfanti will lead the development and execution of the Coty’s global luxury sales strategy to increase revenues and market share.
“I am delighted to announce the appointments of Isabelle and Jean-Denis,” commented Nabi. “I have followed Isabelle’s career closely over the years and am very impressed with her skillset and deeply strategic approach. Her track record of successfully developing make-up and skincare brands, particularly in Asia, makes her a perfect fit for this role.
Prior to his newly-created role as Coty’s Chief Digital Officer, Jean-Denis Mariani served as Chief Digital Officer and member of the Executive Committee at LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain. Mariani helped drive Guerlain’s digital and commerce transformation across 35 countries.
Mariani also developed Guerlain’s CRM content, digital marketing, innovation, analytics, social insights and customer care strategies. As Coty’s Chief Digital Officer, Mariani will lead the company’s digital transformation and grow its global ecommerce presence. His appointment comes as Coty’s ecommerce beauty sales continue to surge, with ecommerce penetration doubling in recent months.
Commenting on Mariani’s appointment, Nabi said: “Jean-Denis is also a perfect fit for Coty. One of the many seismic changes to our industry has been the meteoric rise of digital and ecommerce. 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.”
Coty has announced that plans for a further reorganisation of its Consumer Beauty Commercial Organisation, which includes the appointment of a new Beauty Leader in the coming months.
