Ilaria Resta, Global President Perfumery at Firmenich has been chosen to receive a 2022 CEW Achiever Award by the professional organization, Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) in the USA. CEW, which comprises 10,500 members from 3,500 companies in the beauty industry globally, gives the prestigious award each year to celebrate the most accomplished executives in the sector.

Ilaria Resta is the first and only woman to serve as a Global President among the major fragrance houses, having been named to the role in March 2020. An active member of Firmenich’s Executive Team, she has driven an important transformation agenda in the Perfumery business. Her new vision, “Positive Perfumery”, is about turning fragrances into a positive force for consumers’ wellbeing and the health of the planet. She made diversity and women’s leadership one of her key priorities.

Firmenich is the 7th company in the world, the first in the Fragrance industry, to be globally certified as a gender equal employer by EDGE, the world’s leading business certification standard for gender equality in the workplace.

Ilaria has instigated several strategies to ensure women can access leadership roles:

– Recently hired several new talented women in her leadership team, including Robin Mason, Vice President Fine Fragrance North America; Patricia Nogueira, Vice President Fine Fragrance Latin
America; Levenza Toh, Vice President, Perfumery, Southeast Asia, Japan & Korea.
– Created a formal mentoring program where she personally supports the young talents in the Group.
– Sponsored a Wellbeing program for employees and personally shared her stories of coping with
mental wellbeing.

Before joining Firmenich, Ilaria had acquired more than 22 years of experience with Procter & Gamble. She built iconic brands such as Tide, Ariel, Fairy, Swiffer, Duracell, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences and Aussie, in global roles as well as leading regional business in Europe, and North America. She has a track record helping business transform crisis into strong success, renewing P&G’s European Hair Care business and, prior to that, restructuring the Duracell business ahead of a successful divestiture. As Senior Vice President, Hair Care, North America at P&G, Ilaria delivered outstanding business results, growing market share and profitability.

The award will be given at the 2022 Live Women’s Leadership Awards Luncheon, a ceremony held by CEW in New York City on June 2nd, 2022.