Talent Atelier

Where does your love of beauty come from? 

I’ve always been totally obsessed with beauty and fashion – from birth! I’m sure it’s not normal to be as obsessed as I am. But honestly, my mum was always an inspiration growing up in terms of fashion and beauty, she had the most beautiful olive-skin and long brunette hair, just like Brooke Shields. She would always put on a simple pale-pink lip and wear natural mascara, never too much, just the natural look, that would always be her go-to. I would  emulate her and borrow her clothes and makeup, my mum having me at 18 helped in that we were (and still are) more like sisters, so I got to borrow a lot of things.

How did you get started in your career? 

I studied Graphic Information Design at university with a focus on editorial and the information behind digital design. The focus was on digital, social media, creative, tech, and writing, which luckily I’ve gone on to apply in my career. Whilst at university I interned at IPC Media as I thought I wanted to be a Beauty Editor, but then I got my first job as Online Marketing Executive at luxury lifestyle brand, The White Company, straight out of uni at the age of 21. I was very lucky in that the Marketing Director at the time saw my enthusiasm and passion, so she gave me a shot at a senior role within the business. It paid off and I was promoted twice whilst at The White Company.

You’re someone who always seems to have a great side hustle going and you recently co-founded La Norme Beauty, could you tell us a little more about the platform? 

Sure, I co-founded La Norme Beauty with my fiancée, Jo Wallace, back in March. La Norme is an online platform, promoting positive inclusion and diversity across the beauty industry and beyond. Using social media and our website lanormebeauty.com, we present the world of beauty, advertising, culture and lifestyle, through the lens of diversity and inclusion, because we believe in beauty for all, no matter your race, gender, sexuality or size. La Norme has one simple belief: no woman (or man) should ever be made to feel like they’re not ‘normal’.

How do you position yourself as a consultant? 

I’m now a freelance Brand Strategy, Social & Creative Content Director - that sounds like a lot but I truly am a hybrid of strategy and creative; I always bring my commercial acumen and strategic way of thinking to every piece of work I do, and always with a creative lens. I’m like a chameleon, I adapt to whatever the company needs me to deliver with my ambitious and determined approach.

You climbed the career ranks super quickly, having held roles such as Global Brand & Creative Director less than ten years after graduating – has there been a defining moment in your career that’s been pivotal to your success? 

I guess I’ve never thought about it that way. For me it’s a continuous journey, and if I look back on my career so far it’s purely been down to my sheer hard-work, passion and determination in every role I’ve held from working in-house at brands such as Charlotte Tilbury to being a successful consultant today.

What kind of projects do you get brought in to support businesses on as a consultant? 

I focus on brand strategy, social media and creative content so my work varies which is great. I can take the lead on anything from creative and art direction to content and social media strategy.  Some of my recent projects have included creative direction and idea generation for agency pitches, building a beauty brands complete DNA from scratch and creating TOV guidelines and creatively directing how-to beauty videos.

What are you doing when you’re not working? 

La Norme keeps me pretty busy, whether researching for social posts, reading books on diversity and inclusion or working on the website and attending events. I live in East London, so aside from that I can be found at Shoreditch House, brunching, taking spin classes or chilling by the pool. I also have a passion for travel and I try to escape London at least three times a year, whether that be small city breaks in Europe (Barcelona is a favourite) or more exotic destinations like Sri Lanka and the Maldives, it's always good to get away and hit that reset button.

You’ve had to manage large teams of creatives in your various leadership roles, what’s your management style? What advice do you give to the people you manage? 

I think the most important thing to know is that everyone’s an individual and so therefore, I manage people in my team accordingly. Some people may want and need more advice than others and some have definitely taught me a thing or two!

Who’s been the biggest inspiration in your working life? 

My fiancée Jo Wallace (a Creative Director in advertising) is a huge inspiration to me across my personal and professional life. Jo is definitely a go-getter and one of the most hardworking and creative people I know, she just gets shit done. Not to mention founding Good Girls Eat Dinner which is a non-profit, that provides kick-ass female role models across the creative industries. She’s definitely taught me to go for what you want and to strive to affect cultural change.

What are you career goals for the future? 

Right now I’m super happy with my consulting work as it sees me work with a variety of brands and agencies. I like mixing it up and seeing where it takes me, whilst meeting interesting people along the way. You never know what’s around the corner and I like to embrace new opportunities as they come in.

What do you find most rewarding about your job? 

It's great being able to meet new people from a diverse (experience) background. I also love the variety that consulting brings: one day I could be managing a team overseeing the creative content of a website re-design, the next I could be working from home on a brand strategy for a client.