At a Glance
- Nabi amassed $463.7 million in salary, incentives and stock awards during five-year Coty tenure.
- Her leadership helped reposition Coty as a top global fragrance, hair and color cosmetics player.
- Transition to interim CEO Markus Strobel follows strategic review of Coty’s consumer beauty business.
Sue Nabi, the Algerian-born French executive who led Coty Plc through a multi-year turnaround, earned $463.7 million in total compensation during her five-year tenure as chief executive officer, according to company disclosures.
The payout, spanning fiscal years 2021 to 2025, ranks among the largest executive compensation packages in the global beauty industry and reflects Coty’s reliance on long-term equity incentives to reward performance-linked leadership.
Sue Nabi’s $463.7 million Coty pay breakdown
Nabi’s base salary over five years totaled $17.7 million, while her non-equity incentive compensation reached $3.71 million in 2024.
The bulk of her earnings came from stock awards valued at $442.12 million, granted in 2021, 2023 and 2025 and tied to Coty’s financial and share-price recovery.
Additional compensation, including benefits and other earnings, amounted to $233,793, bringing her total remuneration to $463.72 million.
| S/N | Year | Base Salary($) | Stock Awards ($) | Non Equity Incentives | Other earnings | Total Pay |
| 1 | 2025 | 3,529,800 | 16,041,664 | $119,869.00 | $19,691,333.00 | |
| 2 | 2024 | 3,529,800 | 0 | $3,706,290.00 | $14,489.00 | $7,250,579.00 |
| 3 | 2023 | 3,549,000 | 145,875,000 | $5,486.00 | $149,429,486.00 | |
| 4 | 2022 | 3,506,260 | 0 | $51,494.00 | $3,557,754.00 | |
| 5 | 2021 | 3,549,000 | 280,200,000 | $42,455.00 | $283,791,455.00 | |
| TOTALS | 17,663,860 | 442,116,664 | $3,706,290.00 | $233,793 | $463,720,607.00 |
How Coty structured Nabi’s compensation
Coty’s board heavily weighted Nabi’s compensation toward equity, aligning her incentives with shareholder returns as the company worked to stabilize its balance sheet and restore brand momentum following years of underperformance.
The approach mirrored broader trends among multinational consumer groups seeking to retain turnaround executives through long-term stock-based awards.
Performance impact on Coty’s business
Under Nabi’s leadership, Coty reinforced its position as a global fragrance powerhouse, while rising to become the second-largest company in hair color and styling and the third-largest player in color cosmetics worldwide.
Her tenure focused on portfolio simplification, brand revitalization, and operational discipline, helping rebuild investor confidence in the century-old beauty group.
Sue Nabi’s career before Coty
Before joining Coty in 2020 as its first female CEO, Nabi spent more than two decades at L’Oréal, where she served as president of both Lancôme and L’Oréal Paris.
She also founded skincare brand Orveda and became known for championing diversity and inclusive leadership in the beauty industry.
Leadership transition and what’s next for Coty
Nabi stepped down at the end of her five-year tenure in December 2025. In January 2026, Markus Strobel assumed the roles of executive chairman and interim CEO as Coty launched a strategic review of its consumer beauty business.
Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty operates in more than 120 countries, with its next growth phase expected to focus on profitability, brand strength, and capital efficiency.
