There is speculation that Coty CEO Sue Nabi could potentially exit the French beauty giant amid a potential leadership shake-up led by controlling shareholder JAB Holdings.
The alleged move could also see the company’s Chair, Peter Harf, exit the business too, according to a new speculative report by The Financial Times that cites sources close to the matter.
When asked about the rumours, a spokesperson for Coty told Cosmetics Business: "We do not comment on rumour or speculation".
Nabi has helmed Coty since July 2020 as the company’s first female and transgender CEO, taking over from Harf, who remained as Chair.
She began her beauty career at L’Oréal in 1993 and became the youngest-ever CEO of L’Oréal Paris.
Nabi would go on to lead the French giant’s Lancôme brand for three years, before co-founding the luxury genderless skin care brand Orveda in 2018.
Orveda recently opened its first-ever flagship location in Southeast Asia as it grows its global Maison network.
Nabi and Harf’s rumoured potential exit from Coty follows a lacklustre start to its 2026 financial year as beauty sales sank across the board.
Revenue in Q1 decreased by 6% to US$1.58bn on a reported basis, and 8% on a like-for-like basis.
This was dragged down by a 4% slump in prestige beauty revenue to $1bn, impacted by weakened demand for make-up and skin care sales during the quarter.
Coty is also preparing to grapple with the loss of its Gucci licence, after Kering struck a deal to sell its beauty division to L’Oréal in October.
This includes the rights to enter into a 50-year exclusive license for the creation, development, and distribution of fragrance and beauty products for Gucci.
The licence change will commence after the expiration of the current license with Coty, Kering stated at the time the L’Oréal deal was announced.
In the wake of this, a subsidiary of Coty filed a lawsuit against Gucci and its owner, Kering, in November 2025.
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