A new governance to support Clarins’ growth

Family-owned beauty company Clarins announces today its new governance structure. This foreseeable step formalizes the handover of the company from the second to the third generation. True to the values it has cherished since the company was founded in 1954 by Jacques Courtin, Clarins will continue to grow in line with its current strategy under the guidance of Virginie and Prisca Courtin.

Virginie Courtin is appointed Managing Director, alongside President & CEO Jonathan Zrihen and her uncle, Olivier Courtin, who is also Managing Director. She has served as Deputy CEO since 2018.

Prisca Courtin becomes Chairman of the Supervisory Board, which monitors the company’s strategic orientations. She has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2018.

Prisca will replace her uncle, Christian Courtin, who was keen to step back from his position as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, which he has held since 2011, when he left his operational role.

For 40 years, he successfully led far-reaching transformations to position Clarins as the European skincare leader and a global beauty player. In an increasingly global market, he notably strived to grow the company internationally. He launched Clarins in 130 countries, enabling Clarins to export 93% of its products, which are all developed and manufactured in France. A true CSR pioneer, he also made corporate social responsibility a major strategic focus for growth long before it became the widespread concern for businesses that it is today.

The Clarins governing bodies will be structured as follows:

Clarins Board of Directors:
Jonathan Zrihen, President & CEO
Olivier Courtin, Managing Director
Virginie Courtin, Managing Director

Clarins Supervisory Board:
Prisca Courtin, Chairman
Guillaume de Malliard, Vice-Chairman
Michel Cohen
Virginie Verin

Virginie Courtin, Managing Director : “I take the full measure of the responsibility entrusted to me. As a member of Clarins’s Board of Directors since 2018, I have actively participated in developing the winning strategy that drives our family business. Over the past four years, I have deepened my understanding of our organizational structure and, most importantly, of the women and men behind our success. I also gained solid experience, which I’m eager to put to work in my new position. Our family’s united, unfailing support is a powerful driver for me. I fully intend to take Clarins to new heights all while pursuing the roll-out of our ambitious CSR roadmap. My cousin Prisca and I are very proud to work alongside Jonathan Zrihen and my uncle, Olivier Courtin.”

Prisca Courtin, Chairman of the Supervisory Board: “I am proud to be taking on this key responsibility. It is an honor to do my part to contribute to my family’s entrepreneurial story and to instill in Clarins the agility and innovative mindset it will need to stay ahead of the pack. At the same time, I will, of course, continue to play my operational role at Famille C, where I manage investments. This role has given me perspective and expertise which I will use to help Clarins succeed. My cousin, Virginie, and I are very pleased to be a part of our family’s legacy. It is our duty and ambition to build the future of the company founded by our grandfather, Jacques, while remaining true to our values.”

Jonathan Zrihen, President & CEO of Clarins: “These appointments embody the company’s commitment to change within a framework of continuity. With Virginie and Prisca taking the helm of the company, we will continue to work together to write the next chapter in Clarins’s incredibly story while pursuing our strategic Clarins Unlimited plan, which aims to focus on our brands, well-being and health. Clarins resolutely looks to the future, all while remaining true to the values that have enabled us to become a global and responsible player in the beauty industry and the premium skincare leader in Europe.”

Virginie Courtin
Virginie Courtin is the daughter of Christian Courtin.
Since 2018, Virginie Courtin has served as Deputy CEO, a member of Board of Directors, and head of the company’s CSR policy.
After earning a degree from EDHEC Business School (2010), she began her career in the fashion industry. After working in the marketing department of a major distributor, she went on to co-found the ethical and environmentally friendly bathing suit brand Luz Collections (2012).
In 2013, she chose to join the family business founded by her grandfather, Jacques Courtin, as head of marketing for Mugler Mode. She was later appointed General Manager for the brand. Following that experience, she became a member of Clarins’s Board of Directors as Deputy CEO in 2018.

Prisca Courtin
Prisca Courtin is the daughter of Olivier Courtin.
Since 2018, Prisca Courtin serves as Deputy CEO of Famille C. In this position, she manages the diversification of the Courtin family holding company investments.
She   has    also    been    a    member    of    Clarins’s    Supervisory    Board    since    2018. After earning a business degree in France (ISEG, 2004-2008), holding several internships in Paris and New York, and spending two years completing a Master of Business at Queen Mary University (2008-2010) in London, Prisca Courtin began her career in Paris, where she developed and rolled out Anglo-Saxon-style nail bars in the early 2010s. Following this first experience as an entrepreneur, she chose to join Clarins, the family business founded by her grandfather, in 2013. In her first position at the company, she worked on new spa concepts. She then went on to head up Spas and Retail from 2015.

About Clarins
Clarins is a family-owned French cosmetics company which was founded in 1954. The company manufactures and markets skincare products and make-up and is also a major player in the spa and well-being categories.
Clarins is present in over 150 countries with the brands Clarins and My Blend, and is number one* in premium skincare in Europe. 93% of its products, which are all designed and formulated at Laboratoires Clarins in France, are exported worldwide.

Clarins is committed to promoting responsible beauty to ensure its business is sustainable. Its mission, “Making life more beautiful, passing on a more beautiful world”, is an integral part of the company’s by-laws.

*Source: NPD Beauty Trends®. Selective skincare market, premium brands, sales in cumulative value from January to December 2020 in three countries (France, Italy and the UK).