The Fragrance Foundation looked within its own ranks for the 2025 Circle of Champions honoree — and he saw quite the turnout.
Jerry Vittoria, global president of fine fragrance at DSM-Firmenich and outgoing chairman of the Fragrance Foundation, was awarded the honor on Tuesday in front of a crowd that included the Estée Lauder Cos.’ Stéphane de La Faverie and Jane Hertzmark Hudis; L’Oréal’s Silvia Galfo, Sarah Curtis Henry and Tory Diamond; Parlux’s Lori Singer, and many more.
Following a cocktail hour, the festivities kicked off with the organization’s president, Linda G. Levy, paying homage to The Fragrance Foundation’s first champion, Leonard A. Lauder. “We lost a beloved friend and true icon in June, and we have a very short tribute to Mr. Lauder planned for tonight,” Levy said, nodding to his informal title as “chief teaching officer.”
“His legacy is going to last forever,” Levy continued. “We have a new online course called Fragrance Escentials, it’s a two-hour program that teaches you about the history, classifications, the importance of perfumers and so much more. We are giving this for free to hundreds of students across the U.S. where we have relationships, for one full year, on a scholarship named for Mr. Leonard Lauder.”
After dinner, Ann Gottlieb was the first of two to introduce Vittoria, and she started her speech with Leo Rosen’s definition of a mensch. “I sent a questionnaire to 30 people asking for the three words to best describe Jerry, and those words were ‘authentic, empathetic, exceptionally intelligent, deeply kind, and really elegant,’” Gottlieb added. “The best one? ‘A silver fox.’”
Following Gottlieb was Hudis, the executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Estée Lauder Cos. Hudis characterized Vittoria as “a true champion of the fragrance world and an extraordinary partner for our company for over 25 years,” calling out a greatest-hits list of DSM-Firmenich fragrances from the Lauder portfolio, including Aerin’s Rose de Grasse, Mediterranean Honeysuckle, a suite of Le Labo juices and Tom Ford’s Oud Wood.
“Over the years, our shared love of fragrance has given me a front row seat to Jerry’s unique skill of bringing people together across every single corner of our industry. I’ve seen firsthand, Jerry, how you forge genuine connections with perfumers and evaluators to develop winning fragrances for all of your clients,” Hudis said. “He’s a partner, he brings knowledge, warmth and grace to every conversation and every single challenge.”
When Vittoria accepted the award, he said, “You’ve all been part of my greatest journey, and I thank you for these extraordinary chapters we’ve created together.
“When the board informed me of this nomination, I was simply stunned,” Vittoria continued, recounting his professional journey from the U.S. to London when he started at then-Firmenich. “At that point, I discovered the unique world of managing perfumers. You don’t really manage perfumers, they don’t like that, so you stand there and hope for the best, but it’s these wonderful creative talents that set up the organization to let it fly.”
He also acknowledged his partnership with Levy, and how they set up The Fragrance Foundation for a more community-focused approach upon her 2017 appointment. “We had to put our finances back together, we had a compelling new strategy, and our community is engaged like never before with a purposeful and ambitious mission and agenda,” he continued. “As I look ahead for the future, I’m optimistic and excited for what comes next to me. The world of fragrance continues to evolve faster than ever, with our consumers loving fragrance more than ever. There are so many opportunities ahead for all of us, and I want to thank you for helping me make my journey so rich and so rewarding.”
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