How to Hire a Head of E-commerce
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Head of E-commerce who combines genuine digital commerce and data fluency with commercial and customer capability, matched to your model — whether scaling a DTC business, growing e-commerce within an omnichannel retailer, or selling through marketplaces. Look for proven experience growing online sales […]
Structured vs Unstructured Interviews in Executive Hiring
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA structured interview follows a consistent, planned set of questions and criteria for every candidate; an unstructured interview is a free-flowing conversation that varies by candidate. Structured interviews are more reliable, fairer, and more predictive because they assess everyone consistently against defined criteria, while unstructured […]
How to Hire a Head of Retail
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Head of Retail who combines strong retail operational capability with a genuine feel for customer experience and the brand, matched to your retail model — whether flagship and experiential, scaled multi-site, or omnichannel. Look for a proven retail operator who can deliver consistent […]
Prestige Fragrance Leadership: Hiring for the Category
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerPrestige fragrance leadership takes a genuine feel for the artistry and emotion of scent, combined with luxury brand expertise and commercial capability. Fragrance sells emotion, memory, and identity through scent and story, so the best leaders understand its artistry and emotional power while building and […]
The Executive Scorecard: Defining Success Before You Hire
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerAn executive scorecard defines, before hiring, what success in the role actually looks like — the specific outcomes the person must deliver and the capabilities and qualities required — so candidates are assessed against clear, agreed criteria rather than gut feel. It brings rigour and […]
Celebrity & Creator Beauty Brands: Leadership for the Model
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading a celebrity or creator beauty brand takes an understanding of the distinctive model — where a founder’s personal brand, audience, and authenticity are central assets — combined with genuine beauty brand and commercial capability. The best leaders know how to harness the celebrity or […]
Questions to Ask in an Executive Interview
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe best executive interview questions probe real evidence of how a leader has actually operated — asking for specific examples of what they did, faced, and achieved, and probing beneath the answers — rather than inviting rehearsed or hypothetical responses. Combined with questions on motivation […]
Building a Leadership Pipeline
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA leadership pipeline is an organisation’s ongoing development of future leaders — identifying and growing talent so capable people are ready to step into bigger roles as needed. Building one means spotting potential, developing it deliberately, and creating a flow of ready leaders. It reduces […]
Developing High-Potential Leaders
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerDeveloping high-potential leaders means investing deliberately in the people with the capability to grow into bigger roles — through stretching experiences, coaching and support, genuine feedback, and the right opportunities. Potential only becomes leadership capability through development, so identifying high-potentials and growing them well is […]
Leading a Family Business: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading a family business means navigating the interplay of family and business — honouring the family’s values, legacy, and relationships while running the company professionally and commercially. It takes respect for what the family and business stand for, the ability to balance family and commercial […]
