Essilor Announces the Appointment of Hubert Sagnières as Chairman and CEO from 2nd January 2012

CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

At its meeting on 24 November, the Board of Directors of Essilor International (Paris:EI) appointed Hubert Sagnières as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from the 2^nd January 2012. Xavier Fontanet will remain a member of the Board of Directors.

At the 5 May 2011 Annual Shareholder’s Meeting, Xavier Fontanet indicated that he thought it was the appropriate time to return to Essilor’s traditional mode of governance by regrouping the functions of Chairman and CEO. These had been separated on 1^st January 2010 following the nomination of Hubert Sagnières as CEO.

The Board thanked Xavier Fontanet for the twenty years he has devoted to the growth of the company, its international development and the promotion of its values. The Board congratulated him on the way that he had prepared his succession and his commitment to exemplary corporate governance.

The Board recognised the contribution of Hubert Sagnières during his 22 year career within the Group and in particular in his role as CEO since the 1^st January 2010

About Essilor

The world’s leading ophthalmic optical company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique vision requirements. To support this mission, the Company allocates around €150 million yearly to research and development, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Essilor’s flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Definity®, Xperio®, Kodak®, Foster Grant® and Optifog™. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor reported consolidated revenue of more than €3.9 billion in 2010 and employs 42,700 people in around 100 countries. It operates 14 plants, 332 prescription laboratories and several research and development centres around the world. For more information please see www.essilor.com The Essilor share trades on the NYSE Euronext Paris market and is included in the CAC 40 index. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EI:FP.