11.16.21
Dr. Shimei Fan, formerly senior vice president of Shiseido’s Americas Innovation Center, will join Coty Inc. as chief scientific officer, reporting to CEO Sue Y. Nabi.
Shimei will take up the role on January 3, 2022 and will be based in Amsterdam.
As Chief Scientific Officer, Fan will head up the 500 employees in the organization’s global R&D and innovation function and lead on sustainability. Coty R&D is responsible for expanding and evolving the organization’s portfolio of products, by creatively combining cutting-edge technologies with prevailing beauty trends.
Comments from Sue Y. Nabi, CEO
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Shimei, an innovative beauty scientist and seasoned R&D leader with a 30-year track record of delivering highly innovative, sustainable and clean consumer products for the world’s leading beauty companies,” said Nabi.“Coty is leading the field of 'Clean Beauty That Works', and with Shimei as Chief Scientific Officer leading on sustainability, we are demonstrating our belief that sustainability is the ultimate driver of beauty innovation and central to Coty’s continued success. Shimei shares this vision, and we are excited to add her talents and expertise to the company’s senior leadership.”
Experience
From her prior experience at Shiseido, Beiersdorf, and Unilever, Fan brings deep and invaluable expertise across three of Coty’s strategic growth drivers: color cosmetics, skin care and the Chinese beauty market.As part of her role, she will focus on implementing Coty’s portfolio of key IP, such as skin care ingredients, encapsulation technologies, or skin protection know-how, to boost the company’s skin care portfolio of seven brands. At the same time, she will be ensuring Coty’s skin care and color cosmetics ranges continue to become totally inclusive, as the company continues to make substantial investments in both businesses.
“As a beauty scientist and consumer, I have always admired the creativity, thought and care that Coty puts into its products and the respect the company has for its people and our planet,” said Fan. “I am very excited to join Coty at this time, as the company continues to raise the bar in sustainable product development.”
Prior to her time at Shiseido, Fan was vice president of Global R&D at Beiersdorf and Global R&D director at Johnson & Johnson’s consumer division. She started her consumer products R&D career at Unilever, where she spent 22 years.
Fan earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Chemistry from Fu-Dan University in Shanghai, one of the world’s leading Universities in the Sciences, a master’s degree in Superconductors from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Southampton.
Her appointment as Coty’s chief scientific officer, whose R&D responsibilities were previously held by the chief supply officer and head of R&D, reflect Coty’s belief that sustainability-driven innovation is the key to the company’s continued and future success.