FALSE000102430500010243052026-03-182026-03-18
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 18, 2026
Coty Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Delaware | | 001-35964 | | 13-3823358 |
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) | | (Commission File Number) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
350 Fifth Avenue | | |
New York, | NY | | 10118 |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 389-7300
(Former name or former address, if changed from last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| | | | | |
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | | |
| Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value | COTY | New York Stock Exchange | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.o
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Departure of Directors
On March 18, 2026, Beatrice Ballini, Isabelle Parize and Anna Adeola Makanju resigned from the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Coty Inc. (the “Company”), effective immediately. In addition, Robert (Bob) Singer notified the Company of his resignation from the Board, effective June 30, 2026. Mr. Singer will continue to serve as a member of the Audit Committee until his departure.
Also on March 18, 2026, Gordon von Bretten stepped down from the Board and will continue in his executive role at the Company.
None of these resignations were due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.
Appointment of Directors
On March 18, 2026, the Board increased its size to 10 directors and appointed the following individuals to serve as independent directors of the Company, effective immediately: Carsten Fischer, Robert Kunze-Concewitz, Alia Gogi, Maria Carla Liuni and Stephanie Plaines.
Mr. Kunze-Concewitz was appointed Chair of the Board’s Remuneration Committee, and Ms. Plaines was appointed Chair of the Board’s Audit and Finance Committee, in each case effective immediately. In addition, Ms. Liuni has been appointed as a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and Mr. Fischer has been appointed as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee, in each case effective immediately.
Also on March 18, 2026, the Board appointed Carsten Fischer to serve as Lead Independent Director, effective immediately.
The Board has determined that each of the newly appointed directors qualifies as an independent director under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and applicable Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.
Compensatory Arrangements and Other Matters
Each of the newly appointed directors will receive the standard compensation provided to non‑employee directors under the Company’s existing director compensation program, as described in the Company’s most recent proxy statement.
There are no arrangements or understandings between any of the new directors and any other person pursuant to which such directors were selected. There are no transactions in which any of the new directors has an interest requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
On March 18, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the Board refreshment described above. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information furnished under this Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. A copy of the press release is also available on the Company’s website at www.investors.coty.com.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d)Exhibits: | | | | | | | | |
Exhibit No. | | Description |
99.1 | | Press Release announcing changes to Board of Directors, dated March 18, 2026. |
| 104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coty Inc. | |
| (Registrant) | |
| | | |
Date: March 18, 2026 | By: | /s/ Kristin Blazewicz | |
| | Kristin Blazewicz | |
| | Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Secretary | |
COTY REVAMPS BOARD WITH APPOINTMENT OF FIVE NEW INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
Highly Accomplished Global Leaders Strengthen Board with Deep Beauty, Brand-Building and Financial Expertise to Advance Coty’s Strategic Evolution
NEW YORK – March 18, 2026 – Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) (Paris: COTY) (“Coty” or “the Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed five new independent directors as part of a comprehensive Board refreshment. The new directors are Carsten Fischer, Alia Gogi, Robert Kunze-Concewitz, Maria Carla Liuni, and Stephanie Plaines. Mr. Kunze-Concewitz will serve as Chair of the Board’s Remuneration Committee and Ms. Plaines will serve as Chair of the Board’s Audit and Finance Committee. Carsten Fischer has also been named as the Board’s new Lead Independent Director.
The new directors have held senior leadership roles at globally recognized companies including Shiseido, Procter & Gamble, Ferrari, Bulgari, Pandora, Campari Group, Starbucks, Walmart and Sephora. Collectively, they bring decades of leadership experience across prestige beauty, luxury and global consumer brands, with deep expertise in fragrances and color cosmetics, global brand building, digital commerce, financial leadership and large-scale business transformation.
“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.”
Current directors Markus Strobel, Joachim Creus, Frank Engelen and Patricia Capel will remain on the Board. Following his appointment to serve as President of Consumer Beauty at Coty, Gordon von Bretten has decided to step down from its Board.
Beatrice Ballini, Isabelle Parize and Anna Adeola Makanju have resigned from the Board, effective immediately. Robert (Bob) Singer has resigned from the Board, effective June 30, 2026, and will continue to serve on the Audit and Finance Committee until his departure.
“I want to thank Bob, Beatrice, Isabelle, Anna, and Gordon for their service and contributions as Directors of the Board during a period of significant change for Coty,” added Strobel. “Their counsel and partnership have been valuable as we strengthened the Company’s financial position and advanced our strategic priorities.”
BOARD NOMINEES
Carsten Fischer, Independent Director
Mr. Fischer brings decades of leadership experience across global beauty and consumer goods companies. He most recently served as President of Rea.deeming Beauty (Beautyblender). Previously, as Representative Director and Corporate Senior Executive Officer at Shiseido, he held overall responsibility for a business exceeding $4 billion in revenue with more than 20,000 employees, increasing Shiseido’s overseas sales ratio from 32% to over 53%. Earlier, he served as President of Professional Care at Procter & Gamble following its acquisition of Wella, managing a $2 billion global business across 40 countries. Mr. Fischer has served as a Non-Executive Director at Seiko Holdings and Kate Spade & Company. He earned a degree in Business Administration from Hamburg University of Economics and Politics.
Alia Gogi, Independent Director
Ms. Gogi is a senior beauty retail executive with deep expertise in omnichannel strategy and international market expansion across Asia. She previously served as President of Asia at Sephora, where she built the company's full commercial organization across 10 countries, overseeing a business with 400+ doors. Earlier at Sephora, she served as Managing Director of Southeast Asia and Senior Vice President of Merchandising for both Greater China and Asia Pacific. Prior to Sephora, Ms. Gogi held senior commercial roles at A.S. Watson Group, the world's largest health and beauty retailer, where she led cosmetics merchandising across China. She began her career in brand and category management roles at Nestlé and J Sainsbury. Ms. Gogi earned a BSc in Physics with Management from King's College, University of London.
Robert Kunze-Concewitz, Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Mr. Kunze-Concewitz is a highly accomplished consumer goods CEO with 17 years of experience leading Campari Group as Group Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, Campari tripled sales and completed more than 25 strategic acquisitions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kunze-Concewitz held several senior marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, including within the company’s prestige beauty division. He currently serves on the boards of several international companies, including Carlsberg and Imperial Brands. He earned an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School and a BA in Economics from Hamilton College.
Maria Carla Liuni, Independent Director
Ms. Liuni is Chief Brand Officer at Ferrari, where she oversees the company’s global brand strategy and lifestyle division. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of Pandora and held senior leadership roles at Bulgari within the LVMH Group. Earlier in her career, Ms. Liuni spent more than 16 years at Procter & Gamble’s Prestige Beauty division, where she held global P&L responsibility for a portfolio including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Hugo Boss and Alexander McQueen, helping grow the division from approximately $500 million to more than $2 billion in retail sales. Ms. Liuni earned a Master’s in Economics from Luiss University in Rome.
Stephanie Plaines, Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee
Ms. Plaines is a seasoned financial executive with more than 30 years of experience across public company consumer products, retail and real estate. She most recently served as Global Chief Financial Officer of Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL), an $18 billion real estate services company operating in over 80 countries, where she completed the largest acquisition in company history and led a global finance transformation. Previously, she served as CFO of U.S. Retail at Starbucks and as CFO of Sam’s Club eCommerce at Walmart, where she oversaw the strategic planning and integration of Walmart’s $3 billion acquisition of Jet.com. Ms. Plaines spent more than a decade at Ahold Delhaize in senior finance roles and also served as interim CFO of JC Penney during its transition out of bankruptcy. She currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) and has previously served on the boards of Nielsen and KKR Acquisition Holdings. She earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Finance from the University of Florida.
###
About Coty Inc.
Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with a portfolio of iconic brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass market products in over 120 countries and territories. Coty and our brands empower people to express themselves freely, creating their own visions of beauty; and we are committed to protecting the planet. Learn more at coty.com or on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Investor Relations
Olga Levinzon, +1 (212) 389-7733
olga_levinzon@cotyinc.com
Media
Antonia Werther, +31 621 394495
antonia_werther@cotyinc.com
