PARIS — Robertet Group, the world’s largest natural fragrance- and flavors-maker, is putting a new corporate structure in place.
The family-owned company said Tuesday that it is separating the roles of chairman and chief executive officer.
Philippe Maubert, who was named chairman and CEO of the Grasse, France-based company in February, will take up the job of non-executive chairman of the board of directors. Robertet said in a statement that in his new role, Maubert “will ensure the continuity of the company’s strategy and values to preserve its independence.”
Concurrently, Jérôme Bruhat, who was named deputy CEO of Robertet in February, has been appointed as the company’s CEO.
“He will have the threefold objective of consolidating the company’s worldwide leadership in naturals, continuing to grow the company and updating its operations,” Robertet said in the statement.
“This appointment is an important event in the evolution of the Robertet Group’s corporate management and comes in the wake of good results in 2021 and at the beginning of 2022,” the company continued. “In an uncertain global context, the group continues to assert its unique expertise in natural products, its independence and its confidence in the future.”
Two of Robertet’s competitors, Givaudan and Firmenich, had made unsolicited entries into Robertet’s capital, taking minority stakes, in early 2020 and late 2019, respectively.
“The family wants to maintain the independence of the company because it is the only way we can grow and develop the business,” Christophe Maubert, president of Robertet’s global fragrance division, told WWD in February 2020.
Fragrance and flavors companies today are keen to tap into natural ingredient producers, which are key to nourishing the swiftly rising trend of natural and clean fragrances and beauty products around the world.
In 2021, Robertet generated sales of 606 million euros, up 12.7 percent in reported terms and 14.9 percent at constant exchange rates versus 2020. By division, revenues gained 12 percent for raw materials, 16 percent for fragrance and 8 percent for flavors in the 12-month period.
Robertet was founded in 1850 in Grasse, France, and is majority owned by the Maubert family. The company is traded on the Euronext Paris market.
Robertet is fully integrated at each stage of the fragrance and flavors creation process. It has representation in more than 50 countries and counts more than 2,000 employees globally.
For more, see:
Robertet Vows to Remain Independent
EXCLUSIVE: Firmenich Partners With Beauty Retailer Harmay in China
Givaudan Is Raising Prices This Year, Citing ‘Higher Input Costs’
