A Q&A WITH:
THG BEAUTY’S CEO
Graduate jobs, beauty industry secrets, career advice from a CEO… We recently chatted about all this and more with Lucy Gorman, the CEO at The Hut Group Beauty. THG Beauty are the brand behind firm beauty faves like LOOKFANTASTIC, Cult Beauty, Dermstore and more… enough to keep anyone booked and busy!
LUCY GORMAN
BEAUTY CEO AT THG BEAUTY
What did you study at university, and where?
I studied at the Leeds University Business School, with a degree in Management and Marketing, with a placement year.
What was your first role out of uni?
I actually did a year’s placement at THG in my third year. And, during my fourth and final year, I actually continued working part time at THG. Then after I graduated, I came back to THG full time.
My first position was essentially a trading executive role: setting out campaign and trade plans for beauty websites, planning emails, setting offers live, working with buying and marketing, managing the site, updating banners, all of that kind of thing. It's probably one of the best roles to start in at THG, because you work with every single team.
My first position was essentially a trading executive role: setting out campaign and trade plans for beauty websites, planning emails, setting offers live, working with buying and marketing, managing the site, updating banners, all of that kind of thing. It's probably one of the best roles to start in at THG, because you work with every single team.
Tell us a little about your current role—the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Currently, my team and I are responsible for the whole Beauty division (over 1,000 employees globally and £1.2bn in revenue). THG is most well-known as being the home of LOOKFANTASTIC, Europe's leading online beauty retailer—and voted by UNiDAYS members as their fave online beauty store, too.We also have our own Brands division that comprises of eight leading premium beauty brands—like Perricone MD, ESPA and Christophe Robin. We also have the THG Labs, which is our product development and manufacturing business.
“There’s such a breadth of responsibility where no day is the same.”
One of my favourite parts of my job is the variety. One day I might be down at our manufacturing site and the next I’m meeting with Estée Lauder. There's the glamorous and the not-so-glamorous, but every day is certainly different.
What do you love about the beauty industry?
Aside from being really passionate about beauty products, I just love the people and the diversity. The beauty world has got quite a bad rep as being unapproachable. But, I don't believe that to be the case, certainly not anymore—there are no more The Devil Wears Prada attitudes.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the beauty industry?
This goes for any industry really, but I think what I have found to be infinitely valuable in my career is building genuine relationships. Nothing will ever replace face-to-face relationship building.
“Your network is your net worth.”
Your job will be considerably easier if the people around you want to help and support you, and I think that comes with building great relationships. You get so much more engagement from someone with in-person conversations rather than email and Instant messaging.
“Step away from your desk, find out where the person that you want to speak to sits, then go and talk to them.”
Secondly, don't be afraid to ask questions. Digital businesses and beauty businesses have a lot of acronyms. So always just ask. You'll never look stupid by asking a question.
Who inspired you in your career, and why?
There isn't a particular individual, but I’m probably most inspired by people closer to home. I'm inspired by my parents, who have always worked super hard and kind of really showed me the importance of a solid work ethic.I’m also surrounded by so many amazing people at THG, and just those people who show up every day and give 100% with no complaining—no matter how they’re feeling or what’s happening in their lives. That's what inspires me.
Are there any traits that you look for in candidates?
People who just get sh*t done. That’s a really underestimated skill—just don't be afraid of hard work. I also think there's huge value in industry placements. I'd say at least 50% of the graduates we bring on board have had industry placements, either at THG or elsewhere.
Can you tell us more about THG’s graduate schemes?
We have a kind of rolling application scheme. Typically, they tend to start in September and open days are usually in December/January time.Right this very second, THG Beauty has a whole host of graduate roles ready for your application. Whether you’re interested in Marketing, Merchandising, Buying, Finance or E-commerce—THG Beauty has something for everyone!
beauty industry insider secrets?
