Imagine beauty differently

Building the foundations for a beautiful future.

La Prairie was built on a heritage of excellence, and today our diverse community continues to infuse that passion for excellence in everything we do.

The company looks to tomorrow through the lens of innovation, 
constantly seeking out ways to combine dynamic growth with ethical, entrepreneurial and accountable business practices.

With an eye to the future, La Prairie contributes to a more beautiful world through a conscientious, caring commitment to the environment and to human potential and dignity.

LA PRAIRIE.  

IMAGINE BEAUTY DIFFERENTLY.

 

Our core values

The heart of our organisation.

Care

Trust and respect, collaboration, integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity and team spirit.

Entrepreneurship

The perfect balance of innovative thinking, smart risk-taking, ownership, accountability, competitive spirit, inspirational action, pragmatism, and courage.

excellence

An uncompromising attention to detail and service, unmatched quality, exquisite textures and packaging, placing the client at the centre of our thinking.

passion

An unwavering commitment and dedication, the desire to create emotional connections, to surprise and go beyond expectations. Contagious enthusiasm, joy in what we do.

Our Company

 

A timeline

1931

Clinique La Prairie was founded in 1931. Dr Paul Niehans begins his work in cellular therapy at the Clinique

1957

Dr Paul Niehans becomes the owner of Clinique La Prairie, devoting himself entirely to research into cellular rejuvenation. The Clinique becomes the epicentre for longevity treatments

1971

Following Dr Paul Niehans' passing, the Clinique La Prairie doctors and scientists continue to develop his ground breaking rejuvenation treatments based on the Cellular Therapy research

1977

The Clinique La Prairie creates La Prairie Laboratoires AG, in Montreux, Switzerland, dedicated to skincare

1978

La Prairie Laboratoires infuses the Exclusive Cellular Complex, a unique formulation based on Cellular Therapy, in a skincare creation for the first time

1982

Jacqueline Cochran Inc., an American premium cosmetics and fragrance company based in New York acquires the skincare brand La Prairie. Jacqueline Cochran Inc., owned by Cyanamid, is led by Italian aristocrat, Carlo Bilotti, an art collector and businessman

1987

The iconic Skin Caviar is unveiled by La Prairie, an audacious new skincare creation presented within a cobalt blue vessel inspired by Niki de Saint Phalle

1987

Georgette Mosbacher acquires La Prairie. The wife of a US Senator, and an American entrepreneur and activist, Mosbacher leads La Prairie as CEO and President for 4 years. The company goes from strength to strength

1991

Beiersdorf, a German holding company, buy La Prairie, at the time based in New York, from Mosbacher - La Prairie is able to grow and widen distribution internationally

1990s

La Prairie continues its pioneering work in scientific innovation with the development of their luxury skin care icons and exquisite collections

2008

La Prairie creates the Platinum Rare Collection, confirming La Prairie as the most luxurious skincare brand in the world

2011

A turning point in the history of La Prairie with the appointment of a new CEO and the commitment of substantial resources from holding company Beiersdorf to take the brand to the next level

2016

Relocating the Marketing teams from New York to Switzerland, La Prairie opens its headquarters in the land of its origins, Switzerland, in Volketswil, near Zurich

2017

La Prairie establishes a long-term partnership with Art Basel, the world's premier contemporary art fair, solidifying the company's intrinsic link with the world of art

2023

La Prairie opens "Maison La Prairie" in Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, its first luxurious boutique - a haven of serenity and indulgence

2024

La Prairie moves to new Headquarters at Bellerivestrasse 36, in Seefeld, on the shores of Lake Zurich, establishing the company in the heart of a vibrant international city - a crossroad of luxury, art and nature

Our company

in facts and figures

 

Get to know La Prairie at a glance

14

14 Affiliates

We are present in over 80 markets worldwide

1500

1500 Employees

90 nationalities amongst our workforce, reflecting the diversity of our clients

4

4 iconic skincare creations with over 30 years' lifetime

Extraordinary ingredients : Caviar, Platinum and Gold

90

Grounded in over 90 years of scientific knowledge

Continuously investigating new possibilities to push boundaries and develop new formulations

Our board of directors

Growing our business through team work

Estelle Létang

ESTELLE LÉTANG

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
"Within the world of beauty, La Prairie stands out as the pinnacle of luxury and excellence. As CEO, I am committed to maintaining La Prairie’s leading position in premium skincare and to enhancing the client experience even further."

Estelle Létang joined La Prairie in April 2024 and is based at the company’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. 

As CEO, Estelle is responsible for driving La Prairie’s strategic direction and long-term vision. She oversees the day-to-day management of the company’s business operations, commercial priorities and infrastructure, including all corporate functions, the international affiliates and the distributor markets globally. 

Estelle has over 21 years’ experience in the beauty, cosmetics and fragrance industries. Beginning her career in New York, she has worked in Paris, Hong Kong, London and Dubai. Estelle has held International Vice-President and General Manager positions with responsibility for a number of different FMCG brands, including premium and luxury collections. Known for her energetic personality and her strategic thinking, Estelle is passionate about brand building and customer-centric strategic thinking.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Strategy from the Université Paris Dauphine and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Dublin University.

VITALIJ MINKOVIC

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
"La Prairie is a fascinating brand operating in a highly sophisticated and dynamic global environment. I see our team’s contribution as being trustworthy co-pilots to our commercial colleagues in their quest to make La Prairie even more beautiful than it is today!"

Vitalij Minkovic joined the La Prairie Group in 2012 as Manager of Group Controlling. After five years he took on additional responsibility for the Accounting and Treasury functions of the Group, and in 2019, he was made Finance Director for Global Travel Retail and Special Channels. In July 2020, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer and became a member of the Board of Directors.

Vitalij has over 16 years of professional experience in Finance. After completing his International Business Administration studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany, he began his career at Ernst & Young in Frankfurt and subsequently Barcelona. Vitalij then joined La Prairie's parent company Beiersdorf Group in Hamburg where he held several positions in internal audit and controlling before embarking on his journey with La Prairie.

NOELLE GORIS

VP GLOBAL TRAVEL RETAIL AND DISTRIBUTOR MARKETS & APAC (excl. China/Taiwan)
"In our role, we help bring the Brand to life in our points of sale and especially through our Beauty Advisors, the ambassadors of our Brand."

Noelle Goris joined La Prairie Group in September 2020 as Vice President Global Travel Retail and member of the Board of Directors. In 2023, Noelle took over responsibility for Global Distributor Markets.

Noelle obtained a Master's in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and is an MBA graduate from Solvay Business School (Brussels). She has more than 25 years of experience in Sales, Trade Marketing and General Management, including roles at Procter & Gamble and Coty. During her years with Procter & Gamble, she worked mainly on the Beauty Care categories for both FMCG and Selective brands, and she held roles with increasing responsibilities at the Benelux, European and Global levels. After 19 years, she joined Coty as General Manager for Luxury Export Europe and eCommerce Central/Eastern Europe. Her role was soon expanded to include Travel Retail Europe.

LAURENT CHRISTIN

CHIEF BRAND OFFICER
"As CBO of La Prairie, I see my role as a Guardian and Protector of the most precious gem in the skincare industry. Steeped in heritage and full of character, our brand evokes the most passionate and personal emotions, and awakens the soul to a new dimension in the world of luxury. "

Laurent Christin was appointed to the position of Chief Brand Officer (CBO) and became a member of the Board of Directors in July 2022.

Laurent brings with him almost 30 years of experience in the beauty industry, having spent the last 28 years with Chanel, where he has held senior marketing and management positions within the skincare division. While being based in Paris, Laurent’s global business and marketing experience included innovation, R&D and product development, brand development and product launches throughout Chanel’s international markets. He has specific and particular hands-on knowledge of Asian markets (China, Korea and Japan), as well as the USA.  Having proved his ability as a global divisional leader, Laurent then expanded his skill set to lead an in-country team and was appointed as Chanel’s Fragrance & Beauty General Manager for Russia & CIS in 2017.

ROXANNE HUANG

VP GREATER CHINA
"La Prairie is unique and is more than a luxury skincare brand. We are engaged to bridge Chinese perspectives and the global view, and we are committed to strengthen La Prairie’s desirability among Chinese clients and aspirers."

Roxanne Huang was appointed to the position of VP Greater China and became a member of the Board of Directors of La Prairie in March 2022.

Roxanne joined La Prairie China in 2013 as General Manager for China.  She came with over 15 years of experience in the skincare, cosmetics and fragrance industry, having worked as Marketing Director for L'Oréal for over 10 years and at Christian Dior Perfumes for more than 5 years.  Since being appointed General Manager of La Prairie China in 2013, Roxanne has overseen a period of remarkable growth in the country for the company. She has proven to be an impactful and effective strategist and a dedicated people manager. Given the considerable importance the Greater China region has within La Prairie and her impeccable track record, Roxanne’s appointment to the BOD in March 2022 was a strategic and natural evolution. Roxanne holds an Executive MBA from Fudan University and Washington University, St Louis, USA. 

JUAN CARLOS ESPINOSA

VP GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN
"From Sourcing to Logistics, from Innovation to Manufacturing, we ensure that we elevate everything we do, to achieve a truly luxury supply chain."

Juan Carlos Espinosa was appointed to the position of VP for Global Supply Chain and became a member of the Board of Directors of La Prairie Group in May 2022. 

Juan Carlos's background is as an industrial engineer and has over 15 years experience in supply chain management, including international experience across European, Asian, American and African markets. Originally from Ecuador, he pursued his higher education in France and in the US. Juan Carlos holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from INPG Grenoble and a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from IIT, Chicago. He joined La Prairie's parent company the Beiersdorf Group in 2010 and quickly became a trusted and valuable member of the Supply Chain community within the Group. His most recent position in Beiersdorf before joining La Prairie was as Regional Supply Chain Director for Sub Saharan Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to this, he worked for Beiersdorf leading factory operations and supply chain teams in Nigeria, Spain, Germany and Thailand.

LEIGH PEZZICARA

VICE PRESIDENT OF SUSTAINABILITY
"In addition to leading our Sustainability agenda, I consider my role is to support the beauty that is La Prairie: maintaining and growing the unique La Prairie culture, modelling innovative and collaborative ways of working, and always having an open door for colleagues."

Leigh Pezzicara was appointed to the position of the Vice President of Sustainability and a member of the Board of Directors at La Prairie since March 2023. Leigh joined La Prairie in July 2021 as the Sustainability Director, where she demonstrated deep subject matter expertise and professionalism in leading the development of La Prairie’s sustainability journey in all aspects. Leigh has an extensive background in sustainability, having most recently served as Head of Global Sustainability, Marketing & Engagement at Barry Callebaut, where she led the development of the company’s industry leading sustainability strategy, launched a non-profit sustainability organization, and created an award-winning sustainability engagement program. She has spoken at various international events such as edie’s Sustainability Leaders Forum and has been a representative for her companies at numerous sustainability and D&I conferences. Leigh is a graduate of Harvard University, holding an MLA in Sustainability and Environmental Management.

FREDERIC PANNATIER

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
"Within La Prairie, I see technology as the enabler of excellence. We have an opportunity to deliver an extraordinary client experience if we choose the right systems and platforms at every stage of our operations. I am therefore driven by the end goal of excellence in execution, and establishing the right kind of technological support for that is my daily priority."

Frédéric Pannatier was appointed to the position of Chief Technology Officer and became a member of the Board of Directors in February 2023.Frédéric Pannatier has dedicated his career to the luxury industry, with a particular focus on leading various innovation projects and developing connected products. He joins La Prairie from the LVMH Group, where he spent over 14 years, including 11 years as Chief Information Officer. In this role, he was involved in developing the e-commerce capabilities and the retail activities, primarily focusing on optimising retail operations/performance and empowering a client-centric strategy. With an education in Business IT, Luxury Management, and an executive MBA in innovation management, Frédéric is passionate about new technology and branding. He sees technology and digital as a means to serve the client better and to grow the business.

Brand Manifesto

Born to break the rules, La Prairie perpetuates the pioneering spirit that originated

at Clinique La Prairie in 1931. 
The House’s future-forward science rejuvenates skin, infusing it with life. 
Selecting extraordinary ingredients, highly concentrated, crafting exquisitely sensorial textures, La Prairie creates haute-performance skin icons. 
Beyond skincare, La Prairie elevates beauty and enriches life.
For the daring, the audacious. From Switzerland to the world.
La Prairie. Adding life to years since 1931. 

News

Find out more about recent developments at La Prairie

Contact us

General

 

+41 44 947 81 11

 

info@laprairiegroup.ch

Media Enquiries

 

+41 44 947 81 11