NEW YORK, October 26, 2023 – Fragrance Foundation President Linda G. Levy was inducted into TFF’s illustrious Circle of Champions at a lively dinner event held at 583 Park Avenue in New York. Levy was unanimously voted this year’s champion by the TFF Board of Directors, and the fragrance industry turned up in force to support the woman who has transformed the role and, indeed, the fragrance world itself.
The inaugural Circle of Champions award was given in 2000 to industry icon Leonard Lauder, and tonight began with TFF Executive Committee Chairman Jerry Vittoria reading a letter from Lauder in praise of Levy, thanking her for her friendship and saying that, to him, she embodies the great James Bond theme: “Nobody Does it Better.”
Ann Gottlieb lauded Levy’s charm, warmth, and tenacity and described her as “the family member everyone wished they had.” Her fearless leadership, Gottlieb said, “has consistently pushed the boundaries and made TFF more exciting, more important, and more relevant.” Jeff Gennette, Macy’s Chairman and CEO, congratulated Levy in a video address, noting that Macy’s would not be the fragrance destination it is today were it not for Levy’s efforts during her tenure at the company. And Tricia Butler, Executive Committee member and President, North America, LVMH Parfums Givenchy, Kenzo, and Acqua di Parma, gave a heartfelt speech praising Levy’s commitment to important causes, her ability to bring people together, and how she has, with her “amazing hand-selected team,” turned TFF “into a force of nature.”
Levy herself took the stage to give a rollicking recount of her long and varied career—one that has been filled with connections made and friendships forged, all of which paid forward tonight. Those who spoke about Levy did so with great affection, enumerating her accomplishments—which include transforming and modernizing TFF, prioritizing DEI with #FragranceForwardTFF, vastly expanding membership, and bringing the organization and its mission into the public eye through enhanced social media activity and national news exposure—while frequently reiterating, “she is just getting started.”
As Levy enumerated her goals for TFF and the milestones she has achieved, which she maintained were done with the supportive community as a whole, not alone, she called out that her biggest goal remains and will continue to be a commitment to ensuring all voices are heard and all backgrounds and identities respected within the fragrance industry. “We have so much to do together,” she said. “I’m not going to stop, you know that.”
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Photos by Getty Images for The Fragrance Foundation