Paul DU SAILLANT

About Paul DU SAILLANT

Paul du Saillant is a senior French executive with deep experience in industrial leadership, operations, and vision-care technology. He is currently Deputy Chief Executive Officer of EssilorLuxottica. He joined Essilor in 2008 after spending 20 years at Air Liquide, where he held operational and strategic leadership roles at group level across businesses, geographies, and major corporate functions such as R&D, engineering, and IT. Before that, from 2002 to 2007, he served as Chief Operating Officer of the Belgian group Lhoist, further strengthening his international industrial management profile. At Essilor, du Saillant steadily built a broad responsibility portfolio across both business and corporate functions over more than 13 years. In July 2010, he was appointed co-Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility for major geographic zones including Europe, Asia, and Latin America, as well as cross-functional global activities such as Human Resources, R&D, industrial operations, transformation programs, and IT. From 2017 onward, his scope expanded to Essilor’s lens business, and in March 2020 he became CEO of Essilor. He was then named Deputy CEO of EssilorLuxottica in December 2020. His career highlights strong expertise in operational transformation, post-merger integration, industrial performance, and international governance. He played an active role in the business combination between Essilor and Luxottica starting in January 2017, working closely with Francesco Milleri on integration priorities and synergy execution. More recently, he has been one of the senior executives supporting EssilorLuxottica’s strategic moves, including acquisitions that reinforce the group’s industrial and technological capabilities. His long international track record, combined with his knowledge of the optical industry and its technological, human, and sustainability dimensions, makes him a highly credible and influential corporate leader.