Coty Inc. Announces CFO Transition; Mercier to Serve as Strategic CEO Advisor

What Happened Coty Inc. announced a leadership transition for its finance function: Laurent Mercier ceased serving as Chief Financial Officer on September 1, 2026 after the previously announced appointment of Soraya Benchikh as CFO. Mercier has begun serving as Strategic CEO Advisor under a Transition Agreement and will provide active transition support in September and October 2026, then be released from active duties beginning November 1, 2026 while remaining available for advisory work through the Transition End Date of June 30, 2027 (which may be optionally accelerated to no earlier than December 20, 2026).

Key Details

• Annual base salary: Mercier will continue to receive €825,000 through the Transition End Date for advisory services.
• One-time payment and bonus: He is not eligible for annual/variable bonuses for fiscal 2026 or 2027 except a fixed one-time bonus of €290,000.
• Acceleration option: If Mercier elects an earlier exit (no earlier than Dec 20, 2026), he would receive a lump-sum equal to the salary otherwise payable through June 30, 2027.
• Equity and post-employment terms: Equity awards vesting in October 2026 remain eligible to vest; any awards unvested after the Transition End Date will be forfeited. After the Transition End Date he will be subject to a 12-month non‑competition covenant with related contractual non-competition payments and will be entitled to applicable contractual and collective bargaining severance benefits.
• Documentation: The Transition Agreement will be filed as an exhibit to Coty’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2026.

Why It Matters This filing documents the financial and contractual terms of Coty’s CFO transition. For investors, the items to note are the continued cash cost (salary and fixed bonus) during the advisory period, the potential lump-sum payout if Mercier accelerates his exit, and the treatment of equity awards (possible forfeiture reduces future dilution). The non‑competition payments and severance provisions are contract commitments that may affect near-term cash flow. Investors should review the Transition Agreement when it is filed with the 10-Q for full details.