Latest News Gerard Cottet, an Architect of Essilor’s Growth, Dies at 84 By Staff Wednesday, July 27, 2016 12:18 AM Gerard Cottet. CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—Gerard Cottet, a longtime Essilor International executive who was a principal architect of the company’s transformation from a French optical exporting company into a leading global optical supplier, passed away July 17 at age 84.In the 1990s, Cottet led Essilor of America’s move into the wholesale laboratory sector, its acquisition of polycarbonate lens maker Gentex and its investment in Transitions Optical, a joint venture with PPG Industries. “It’s with strong emotion that we learned about the passing of Gerard Cottet,” said Hubert Sagnieres, chairman and CEO of Essilor International. “He was one of the emblematic figures of the Essilor Group through his active contribution to the success of the 1972 merger between Essel and Silor, by his significant investment in the Valoptec Association, but also for his initiative in the international development of our Group. It’s on these solid foundations that the Essilor Group has been able to continue its subsequent growth throughout the world.”Cottet was part of a family from the Jura region in France with a strong background in eyewear. He spent some of his childhood in London, where his father, Raymond Jules Cottet, was branch manager there for the Société des Lunetiers, before his return to Paris to become one of the directors.Following his graduation from HEC business school in 1956, Cottet began his career in an investment bank, and then the advertising agency Synergie. He joined the Société des Lunetiers as head of advertising, and then become the London branch manager of the company in 1962, launching in the UK market the new Varilux progressive lenses. On returning to France in 1966, he took part in the merger between Essel and the Lissac Group, which brought about the creation of Essilor in 1972. That same year, he was appointed the group’s sales director. In 1991, Cottet succeeded Bernard Maitenaz as chief executive of Essilor. Under his leadership, Essilor strengthened its position as leading global optical company thanks to a strategy linking the systematic development of subsidiaries abroad with industrial specialization. This involved focusing activities on corrective lenses as well as continued innovation in all areas of advanced technology. After a 35-year career in the Essilor Group, Cottet retired in 1996 and was succeeded by Xavier Fontanet.