Beatrice Ballini joined the Board in September 2019 and has served as the Chair of the RNC since June 2020 and as Lead Independent Director since July 16, 2025. At the end of 2023, Ms. Ballini was named Operating Partner of VAM Investments, a private equity fund. Since September 2023, Ms. Ballini is a member of the board of Gruppo Florence, an integrated manufacturing hub in Italy for the international luxury sector. Until June 30, 2023, Ms. Ballini served as a senior member of the Retail Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, a global leadership advisory and search firm, where she led the family business services and was a leader of the Board and CEO Advisory Partners group. Prior to joining Russell Reynolds Associates more than 20 years ago, Ms. Ballini was the Chief Executive Officer of a prominent men s clothing manufacturer in Milan where she assisted with the company s strategic growth. Prior to that, she held positions at Goldman Sachs & Co. and Bain & Co. Ms. Ballini has also taught in the Master in Marketing program at Sciences Politiques in Paris and is a member of the European, Middle Eastern, South Asian & African Executive Board of the MIT Sloan School of Management. She holds a laurea degree in chemical engineering from the Polytechnic of Milan, a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Ms. Ballini brings to our Board significant leadership, management and business experience and an understanding of executive skill and training, human capital management and Board governance.