The Business of Beauty

by Elaine Tan

In love with cosmetics, skincare, fragrances and hair care products? L'Oreal Malaysia could well be your employment nirvana. By Elaine Tan.

You will be forgiven for thinking that L’Oreal is an extremely glamorous place to work. What with it being the leading total beauty company with that charming tagline ‘Because you’re worth it’ and dozens of A-list celebrity endorsers like Datuk Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Aishawarya Rai and Penelope Cruz.

Elena Khoo Group Product Manager of Maybelline

But Elena Khoo, Group Product Manager of Maybelline, is quick to set the record right up front: “It is glamorous on the onside, but be prepared to get your hands dirty on the inside!” she laughs. The business of making other people look good is hard work.

Contrary to certain perceptions, a career in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry can be very challenging. “People (from other industries) think we only ‘play’ with products, but the truth is the business operates in a demanding and competitive market environment. It isn’t enough to just like the products; one also needs to have the aptitude for the business, strategy, research and analysis,” she says.

“The mass-market categories, in particular, face a very diverse and dynamic market place. The makeup market is still a double-digit growth market with new brands being introduced all the time. We need to be able to adapt quickly to market changes and think about ways to go from A to Z via different, creative permutations and not just follow standard operating procedures.”

But there are, of course, the perks. “If you’re interested in trends and fashion, you will definitely enjoy working here.” After all, L’Oreal owns some 25 global brands, 15 of which are marketed in Malaysia. These include L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline, Lancome, Biotherm, Shu Uemura, Redken, L’Oreal Professionnel and Vichy. The company’s range of products covers every beauty need – hair care, skin care, cosmetics and fragrances.

STEP BY STEP

L’Oreal Malaysia comprises four key divisions: consumer products, luxury products, professional products and active cosmetics. Broadly, each product is supported by marketing, sales and merchandising teams. The marketing team is responsible for the positioning, branding and marketing of the product to consumers – the overall image of the product.

But products don’t sell themselves. Enter the sales support team, which comprise key account representatives and sales representatives. The former manage corporate negotiation and dealings with large retailers like Guardian and Watsons, while the latter go to the stores to make sure L’Oreal’s cash register is ringing all the time. The merchandising team is responsible for what consumers ultimately see at stores – product visibility, creative display, product education and so on.

And that is just one part of the equation. This set-up is supported by operations teams in customer service, information technology, finance, procurement, logistics, warehousing and so on. Sounds like a well-oiled machine? You bet! So where would you fit in? “For fresh graduates, it typically starts at Management Trainee level. At L’Oreal, we run a very rigorous training programme. Trainees undergo a 12- month training programme during which they are placed in different parts of the company for periods of time to help them learn how the business is run. This is an integration period because we need them to have a firm understanding of the business, job, environment, market dynamics and so on.”

Management Trainees are recruited for all departments and they receive thorough exposure, regardless of the department that recruited them. “You may have joined us as a trainee in the sales team, but don’t be surprised if you’re asked to be a beauty advisor at the cosmetics counter for a week or two!”

”Our trainees are engaged in a real job as a product manager straight away. In marketing, for example, if we are launching a product, trainees have to be hands-on to handle the full 360 degrees of the plan, such as advertising, public relations, promotions, etc. They report directly to the Group Product Manager or Marketing Manager or even top management like the Country Manager. L’Oreal operates on a very lean structure, so every person is expected to contribute.”

Management Trainees from left: Louis, Lynn, Danny, Jonatha

After ‘graduating’ from the Management Training programme, trainees move up to Product Executive. Typically, one would then become a Product Manager after a couple of years on the job. The next step up would be Senior Product Manager. The further up the corporate ladder one climbs, the more one moves away from implementation to planning and strategy. The job scopes cover “everything,” says Elena, and encompass

product development, media buying, planning promotion, distribution points, advertising, in-store visibility, execution to the end as well as analysis of sales and targets. It is as Elena puts it “the full works”.

Each group is led by a Group Product Manager who, in turn, reports to a Marketing Manager, the head of several components. The brand L’Oreal Paris, for example, comprises makeup, hair care and skin care, and the Marketing Manager oversees each of these.

Both the Group Product Manager and Marketing Manager are focused more on the business aspects of things, namely, keeping a close watch on profit and loss, meeting sales targets, and developing strategies for the long-term or when facing new market challenges.

The company also has an internship programme for students on vacation. “Our interns are given accountability and real responsibilities – they are not here to make coffee and fax letters! Although it is a temporary posting, we hope to give the exposure and learning that are equal to the start of the Management Trainee programme. And, of course, we also use this as an opportunity to pinpoint talents for the trainee programme after graduation.”

MAKING THE CUT

Elena herself started her career in L’Oreal under the Management Trainee programme. “I’m what you would call a ‘pure bred’ because I joined the company right after university.” She was posted to Paris for two years after graduating from the programme and returned to quickly move up the ranks.

“L’Oreal is a play hard, work hard company. We are definitely less structured and process driven than some other companies,” she explains. The open culture also encourages crossdepartment and division collaborations, learning and transfers. “Within the local office, one can contribute to different brands or move across brands, products and divisions. And being a multinational, we offer the opportunity to travel and work in other regions.”

What does it take to make it? “We look for people with a passion for the brand and sensitivity to the product. Without these two basic qualities, you will not have the required motivation,” says Elena. “Entrepreneurship, risk taking, adaptability and a certain level of assertiveness are also required to thrive in the L’Oreal environment as well as the markets in which we operate. We are a company that can easily make a decision today that needs to be carried out by next week even if we have planned 6 months in advance because competitive forces require it.”

She also highlights communication skills as another important criterion. “As a multi-diverse, multi-racial company, we have a mix of people from various backgrounds working in the same office. Our staff need to be able to engage at different levels within the company from, say, the General Manager to store clerks, and with different departments.”

“The FMCG industry and L’Oreal offer more room for creativity, risk taking and learning on the curve than most other places.” And to sum it all up, she adds with a smile, “And you do have more fun.”

Jonathan Fu, Management Trainee in the Trade Marketing Department of the Consumer Products Division of L’Oréal Malaysia, shares why it’s great to be a Management Trainee in this global beauty company. L’Oréal is a dynamic, innovative and fast moving company. Creativity and innovation is strongly encouraged. Top management is very visible and approachable; they are not only open-minded to great ideas, but have excellent human sensitivity.

Management Trainees are given high empowerment in their job functions to handle or even lead projects. For example, I am being selected as the President of the L’Oréal MyConnect committee to lead a team of 7 persons in organising L’Oréal 2009’s company internal events to promote work-life balance.

Management Trainees are also highly involved in many strategic projects. We are also well exposed to the business and corporate functions. This has helped us in strengthening and expanding our social network which is so crucial to be successful in L’Oréal.

Throughout the Management Trainee programme, we are groomed to move onto another stage with higher challenges and satisfaction. More importantly, we are not alone in facing challenges because we work as a team. I am certainly looking forward to growing my career with L’Oréal!