“It’s thrilling to be at the forefront of a beauty revolution.”

How I became a beauty leader

I’ll be completely honest: growing up, my dream was never to become a leader in the world of beauty and skincare. But after studying biology, psychology, biochemistry and then law, I got a job at a local distributor in the cosmetic industry. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I’m now two years into my role as President of Beauty and Care, which is part of our Perfumery & Beauty business unit. My career to this point has touched almost every area of the business, from sales to commercial to technical functions – and at every stage of the journey, I’ve been blessed to be part of winning teams with very strong leadership and exceptional talent.

Embracing constant change

If you’re an agile person who wants to keep developing and progressing, then dsm-firmenich is the place for you. Nothing ever stands still here. We’re always building, always innovating, always moving towards something better and new. if you like change, movement and dynamics, this is the world for you!What’s more, this isn’t just change for change’s sake; this is change with purpose.

The House of Naturals project
One of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on was our House of Naturals project. It involved lots of different people from across the business coming together to find ways to make our products more biodegradable. The project proved to be a huge success.

A fascinating future for cosmetics

Technology is transforming how we approach skin, sun and hair care, and it's thrilling to be at the forefront of this revolution. There are two areas I’m particularly excited about. One is a technology platform we recently brought to market that is senolytic ( anti-ageing) science. This technology basically removes “zombie” cells, which are cells that have ceased functioning normally in the body. We won ten global awards for our breakthrough in skin care and two in hair care, both innovations very much ahead of their time. The other area I’m really excited about is AI, particularly the potential it offers us for improving product design, elevating consumer experience and powering in-depth scientific studies.

 

My passion for work and for life

My job has turned me into a bit of a beauty junkie. I'm always buying the latest products and gadgets to test them out. But I try to find time for hobbies unrelated to work as well. A couple of years ago, I got into racetrack driving, which I love. It definitely stretches my technical skills to the limit. But it also teaches me mental strength, and how purpose, a clear roadmap and enough passion can help you reach your goal.

Actually, maybe it’s not so different from working at dsm-firmenich after all!