Gilbert Ghostine

Gilbert GHOSTINE has a master's degree in business administration from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, complemented by Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School. He began his carreer in 1986 with group Murr, a Lebanese company in the construction sector and he was Marketing & Sales Director at Amlevco Trading Company and then General Manager, Middle East at International Distillers & Vintners, which became Diageo in 1997. Whithin the Diaego group, the world's leading premium spirits company, Gilbert GHOSTINE held, between 1997 and 2014, several senior leadership roles across four continents. He was notably Managing Director, Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe (1998-2000), President, Major US Markets and National Accounts (2002-2005), Managing Director Northern Europe (2005-2006), Managing Director Continental Europe (2006-2009), President Asia Pacific (2009-2014) and then Chief Corporate Development Officer and President India and Greater China, a position he held until his departure in 2014. That year, Gilbert was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Firmenich, the Swiss, largest private fragrance and taste company in the world. In this role, Gilbert has championed digital innovation, led the strategic repositioning of Firmenich into Natural, Biotech and Life Science leadership, and driven its growth into a recognized global leader in Environmental, Social and Governance. Under Gilbert's leadership, Firmenich has delivered strong and consistent organic growth whilst securing 15 strategic acquisitions, culminating in merger with DSM in May 2023, creating the world's leading beauty, nutrition and wellbeing company. This achievement marked the end of Gilbert's tenure as Firmenich Chief Executive Officer. Currently, Gilbert serves as the Chairman of the Sandoz Board of Directors and sits on the board of directors at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, where he chairs the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.