The Grossman School of Business (GSB) at the University of Vermont (UVM) hosts senior business leaders from around the world to engage in thought provoking conversations with students as part of its Dean's Leadership Speaker Series. This year, GSB is proud to welcome UVM alum Kristin Ely Blazewicz ‘00, chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary of Coty, Inc., one of the world’s largest beauty companies. The event will take place on October 4, 2023 from noon – 1 p.m. in the Keller Room in Ifshin Hall and is free and open to the public.

As a leader in the world of corporate law, Kristin will focus on how to leverage authenticity as your leadership power and what it means to be fearlessly kind. Kristin has worked with Coty and its iconic portfolio of brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care since March 2020. At Coty, Kristin is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal and compliance affairs worldwide and is a member of the Executive Committee. Kristin also serves on the Board of Managers of King Kylie LLC, the joint venture formed between Kylie Jenner and Coty to build and develop Kylie’s beauty businesses globally, and the Board of Directors of the Bank of Burlington. 

Prior to joining Coty, Kristin served most recently as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ: KDP), a coffee and beverage company, where she held various positions of increasing responsibility from January 2013. Kristin began her legal career as a corporate associate in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, an international law firm, from 2006 to January 2013, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities laws and capital markets transactions, venture capital funding and corporate governance.

Kristin has lived and worked in several global locations including her native U.S., China and the Netherlands. Kristin received a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in International Law and Legal Studies from Duke University School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board of the Duke Law Journal, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, magna cum laude, from the University of Vermont. Kristin studied international business at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien in Vienna Austria and international law at the Kyushu Faculty of Law in Fukuoka, Japan.