Etienne von Kunssberg
About Etienne von Kunssberg
Etienne von Kunssberg, age 49, is Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at The Honest Company (HNST), appointed effective February 24, 2025. He holds an MBA in Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management from the Paris School of Business and brings 20+ years of supply chain leadership across consumer brands (Dole Packaged Foods, WWP Beauty, Henkel, Procter & Gamble, Coty) . He reports to the CEO and leads Honest’s supply chain to support the firm’s Transformation Pillars; company performance in FY2024 included 900 bps gross margin expansion to 38% driven by cost savings and operational improvements, strengthening the context for his role .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Honest Company | SVP, Supply Chain | Feb 2025 – Present | Leads Supply Chain function; supports Transformation Pillars around operating discipline and margin enhancement |
| Dole Packaged Foods | VP, Supply Chain & Manufacturing | Feb 2023 – Feb 2025 | Responsible for U.S. transportation, manufacturing, storage, planning, procurement, customer operations, safety, and quality |
| WWP Beauty | Interim Global Chief Supply Chain Officer | Jan 2022 – Feb 2023 | Led strategic supply chain initiatives in global beauty packaging/formulation |
| Henkel (consumer & industrial brands) | Head of Supply Chain, North America | Jun 2018 – Dec 2021 | Led regional supply chain for diverse consumer/industrial portfolio |
| Procter & Gamble; Coty | Various supply chain roles | Not disclosed | Extensive experience at leading consumer companies (tenure/dates not disclosed) |
External Roles
No public company board roles or external directorships disclosed in the 2025 proxy and related filings for Etienne von Kunssberg .
Performance Compensation
| Metric/Instrument | Structure | Target/Weights | Actual/Payout | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inducement RSUs (115,122 units) | Time‑based RSUs under 2023 Inducement Plan (Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4)) | N/A (time‑based, not PSU) | N/A | 25% vests on Mar 4, 2026; 6.25% vests each quarterly vest date thereafter; schedule commenced Mar 16, 2025, subject to continued employment | Grant approved Mar 16, 2025 as an inducement to employment effective Feb 24, 2025 |
| Company Annual Non‑Equity Incentive Framework (context) | 50% financial (net revenue, adjusted EBITDA); 50% four operating priorities (retail distribution, operational efficiency, innovation pipeline, organizational effectiveness) | Financial metrics: 50%; Operating goals: 50% (four equally weighted) | FY2024 payout to NEOs was 121.9% of target (Etienne joined in 2025; his specific 2025 bonus terms not disclosed) | Annual cash plan | Compensation committee assesses attainment; provides context for executive pay‑for‑performance |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership (Form 3, filed Mar 10, 2025) | Reported zero beneficially owned shares as of the event date (Mar 6, 2025) |
| Inducement RSU Grant | 115,122 RSUs granted Mar 16, 2025; 25% vest on Mar 4, 2026 then 6.25% each quarterly vest date thereafter |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | ~0.10% equivalent if fully settled: 115,122 RSUs / 110,229,634 shares outstanding (Mar 31, 2025) |
| Vested vs Unvested | As of grant: 0 vested; 115,122 unvested, time‑based schedule |
| 10b5‑1 Plan / Sell‑to‑Cover | Adopted Rule 10b5‑1 sell‑to‑cover arrangement on Jun 16, 2025 to satisfy tax withholding on RSU vesting; number of shares sold depends on future prices/withholding |
| Hedging/Pledging | Company policy prohibits hedging, short sales, margin accounts, and pledging for all employees including executive officers |
| Clawback | Company adopted Dodd‑Frank‑compliant clawback policy effective Oct 2, 2023 |
Employment Terms
| Term | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Appointment/Start Date | Announced Feb 24, 2025, effective immediately; SVP, Supply Chain |
| Reporting Line | Reports directly to CEO; leads the Supply Chain function |
| Compensation Agreement | No individual salary/bonus/severance terms disclosed for Etienne in proxy/8‑Ks reviewed (not listed as 2024 NEO; 2025 details not in proxy) |
| Inducement Equity Plan | RSUs granted under 2023 Inducement Plan per Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4) |
| Insider Trading Arrangements | Rule 10b5‑1 sell‑to‑cover plan adopted Jun 16, 2025 |
| Policies Applicable | Insider Trading Policy (hedging/pledging prohibitions) and Clawback Policy apply to executives |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: A sizable time‑based RSU grant (115,122 units) aligns Etienne’s incentives with long‑term shareholder value; the prohibition on pledging/hedging further supports alignment .
- Vesting‑linked flow: Expect periodic sell‑to‑cover activity around vest dates (25% on Mar 4, 2026; 6.25% quarterly thereafter), which can create predictable, low‑signal insider sales for withholding taxes rather than discretionary selling .
- Retention dynamics: Multi‑year vesting and leadership mandate within Honest’s operating discipline/margin initiatives suggest moderate retention risk; equity serves as a retention tool consistent with company philosophy .
- Pay‑for‑performance context: While his individual cash bonus terms aren’t disclosed, Honest’s executive STI framework ties payouts to revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and operating priorities; FY2024 payouts to NEOs were 121.9% of target, indicating a committee willing to reward outperformance—relevant to future evaluations of his variable compensation .
- Monitoring: Track RSU vest dates and any future Form 4 filings to differentiate sell‑to‑cover vs discretionary sales; watch for disclosure of any employment/severance terms in future proxies or 8‑Ks to assess change‑of‑control economics and retention risk .
Credible background and an inducement RSU grant tie Etienne’s upside to execution within Honest’s transformation, where FY2024 margin expansion to 38% provides a constructive backdrop for supply chain leadership impact .