During the 15+ years I spent heading large Business Units for global cosmetic multinationals in many countries, I never (really) worried about how I would close the month, pay the team, ship the goods, get new clients... And then, one day, I became an entrepreneur. I discovered what it meant to run a business with limited resources! I like the cosmetic industry. Yet, I never dreamed of creating my own brand, developing the best anti-aging cream, the most colourful lipstick or the sexiest fragrance. I think my added value lies somewhere else: I have seen so many things, worked with so many smart and talented people, done so many mistakes and been part of so many successes too, that I feel my contribution is to help others achieve their WHY. Sometimes, I feel like a teacher, a coach, a consultant, may be! Except I cannot see myself merely giving advice. I want to collaborate with business owners, organisations or teams to share my expert advice. In 2011, I founded THE COLLECTION, a boutique agency providing a wide variety of business consultancy and management services addressing the needs of the cosmetic industry. The idea was to leverage the complementary senior management experiences of 'a Collection' of beauty experts to deliver operational consulting focused on problem-solving. We would not only rapidly assess the situation and make recommendations, but would also provide business owners and teams with hands-on support for the implementation of their vision. Time has proven us right, and the fact that more and more businesses outsource key functions to experts suggests such solution offers significant advantages. Our experts and I can step into any beauty business to assist on a part-time, temporary, advisory or management consulting basis. We can take over critical roles in a transition period. We can coach less experienced teams and progressively transmit the knowledge accumulated over years of practice. We can also provide long term outsourced management solutions and even run regional operations on behalf of our clients, in particular non-European brands.
ALICE DELICE is a leading French cookware and kitchenware retailer. In 2019, the company decided to challenge its business model and to proactively promote and support the increasingly popular home-made cooking trend. Realising that the consumer centric cosmetic industry had much to share with the world of kitchenware retail, ALICE DELICE invited me to join their Advisory Board to challenge and support their Executive Committee, with a specific focus on marketing & promotion, on-& offline consumer experience, and activation of the community on social media.
THE COLLECTION is an agency providing operational consulting services. We are a 'Collection' of beauty experts. We don't merely give advice. We also collaborate with business owners to implement our recommendations. We operate on a part time, temporary, advisory, or management consulting basis. You focus on the WHY, we take care of the HOW ! Some of the clients who have trusted us to coach or lead their B2B as well as DTC projects include JURLiQUE, OUATE, FILORGA, SHISEIDO GROUP, HERBORIST, MODILAC and many others, a mix of large multinational groups and startups. For more details on our activities, pls feel free to send me a personal message or check our website - http:// www.THECOLLECTION.ME.
Fashionation.me was the first online flash sales website in the Middle East, offering bargains on excess inventories of premium fashion brands and accessories. I founded the company, designed the website, organized the purchasing process & supply chain and directed the social marketing strategy to promote the site, drive traffic and generate sales.
The Estée Lauder Group is a leading US manufacturer and marketer of luxury skin care, make-up and fragrance brands, including Estée Lauder, Clinique, DKNY, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Jo Malone... I reported to the SVP Regional Director, Europe Middle-East & Africa, and was responsible for achieving sales and profitability of 5 divisions/brands and for establishing and then managing the Middle East and India subsidiaries (550 people, including field force). Achievements during these 7 years include a change of business model, a redefinition of the relationship with local distributors in 10 countries, the conversion of the Middle East rep office into a full-fletched subsidiary, the implementation of a regional logistic center, the revival of MAC and Bobbi Brown in the Middle East, the launch of MAC, Estee Lauder and Clinique in India, the reallocation of investments toward consumer-focused marketing activities, and consequently, the multiplication of sales by 3.
The Travel Retail EMEA division runs the fast paced, profitable duty-free business in airports, airlines, and on cruise ships. I was reporting to the VP / General Manager EMEA and was responsible for promoting sales of the flagship brand 'Estée Lauder' to leading Travel Retail operators in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Team of 6 area sales managers and a marketing / training / store design team (22 people).
BPI, a division of Japanese cosmetic group Shiseido, markets the Jean Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, Narciso Rodriguez and Elie Saab fragrance lines. I was reporting to the Head of International and was responsible for a distribution network of local distributors and regional duty-free operators. I was supported by a Miami-based sales force and a Paris head office team. Team of 5 direct reports.
In 1993, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi merged its Beauté division with fashion and cosmetic company Yves Saint Laurent. Portfolio of fragrance and cosmetic brands included YSL, Van Cleef & Arpels, Oscar de la Renta, Roger & Gallet. I was reporting to the Duty-Free Director EMEA, and was responsible for promoting sales in duty-free channels in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Israel. Team of 4.
Following the fall of the iron curtain, Venilia, the home decoration division of international chemical conglomerate Solvay decided to expand the distribution of its wallpapers, table cloths and home decoration items I was reporting to the Head of the Export department, and built a network of distributors in Germany, Eastern and Central Europe. I also managed the Sub Saharan Africa countries
Established and headed the first office of the French Chamber of Commerce, with the dual assignment of animating the French business community and supporting companies entering the Korean market
Responsible for assisting Communication departments of BMW subsidiaries in English-speaking countries