Firmenich names three new Master Perfumers

Fragrance and taste company Firmenich has appointed François-Raphaël Balestra, Wessel-Jan Kos and Haresh Totlani as its new Master Perfumers.

The Swiss company is the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, known for creating fragrance for brands including Calvin Klein, Gucci and YSL.

The new appointments will join a team of nine Master Perfumers, who the company said have "reached the highest level of excellence and achievement in their respective fields, while exhibiting exemplary leadership qualities and a lived commitment to Firmenich's values".

Balestra first joined Firmenich in 1999. Together with his role as perfumer for beauty care and home care products, he is also the head of New Ingredients Discovery for Perfumery at Firmenich.

Kos has spent over three decades at Firmenich, with the company highlighting that he has been instrumental in the development of malodor counteraction technologies, putting his name to several patents.

Totlani has been at the company for the last 24 years. He has created signature fragrances for brands in Asia and Europe, as well as regional and local brands in many categories including soap, shower gels, shampoos, fabric softeners and detergents.

Ilaria Resta, Global President of Perfumery at Firmenich, said: "Our three new Master Perfumers have over 80 years' experience at the cutting edge of perfumery innovation, and their path to this level shows their dedication, work ethic, and strong commitment to their craft. They combine exceptional creativity with understanding of technology to augment performance, as well as an innate ability to drive customer intimacy by understanding consumer insights and anticipating the future trends in a complex and ever-changing market."