Laurent Vacherot Named New President of Essilor

Wednesday, December 7 2016 | 00 h 00 min | News

At the December 6, 2016 Board of Directors’ meeting, Hubert Sagnières, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Essilor, proposed strengthening the Company’s executive management by appointing Laurent Vacherot as President and Chief Operating Officer. Laurent has been Co-Chief Operating Officer since 2010.

In his new role, Laurent Vacherot will take direct responsibility for Essilor’s operations with all operational executives reporting directly to him. Finance, Human Resources, Corporate Mission, Communications and Strategy will report to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

After consulting the Nominations Committee and the Executive Officers and Remunerations Committee, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the proposal. It also proposed to appoint Laurent Vacherot as director, subject to the approval of shareholders at Essilor’s next Shareholders’ Meeting to be held on May 11, 2017.

Commenting on these changes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hubert Sagnières said: “As industry leader, Essilor has been able to associate key strategic decisions with operational efficiency to carry out its mission of “improving lives by improving sight”. The exciting range of our key day-to-day operational challenges includes innovating, expanding in market segments complementary to our core businesses and gaining footholds in vast countries with extensive markets. The realignment of our organization will help us accelerate the implementation of our strategy and lay the groundwork for the Company and our teams to achieve meaningful and value-adding growth over the long term. I am delighted at the prospect of working even more closely with Laurent at the head of Essilor’s operational management, in carrying out our mission on behalf of our customers and in the interests of our shareholders and employees.”