Leading Through Ambiguity
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading through ambiguity means guiding a business and its people effectively when the situation is unclear, information incomplete, and the path uncertain — providing direction and steadiness without false certainty, making decisions and adapting as things clarify, and helping people cope with not knowing. It […]
Managing Underperformance in a Leadership Team
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerManaging underperformance in a leadership team means addressing a senior leader who is not delivering — honestly, fairly, and promptly — through clear feedback, genuine support to improve, and, where necessary, the decision to make a change. It takes the willingness to confront the issue […]
Having Difficult Conversations as a Leader
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHaving difficult conversations well means addressing hard issues — performance, conflict, sensitive feedback, or tough decisions — directly, honestly, and with care, rather than avoiding them. It takes the courage to have the conversation, preparation and clarity, genuine listening and empathy, and a focus on […]
Talent Acquisition vs Recruitment: What’s the Difference?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerRecruitment generally refers to the process of filling roles — sourcing, assessing, and hiring for current openings. Talent acquisition is a broader, more strategic concept — the ongoing, strategic building of the talent an organisation needs, including employer branding, talent pipelining, and workforce planning, not […]
What Does a Head of Talent Acquisition Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Head of Talent Acquisition leads a business’s hiring function — the strategy, team, and processes for attracting, assessing, and hiring the talent the business needs. As talent is central to most businesses’ success, it is an important role, combining the operational running of hiring […]
What Does a Chief Diversity Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) leads a business’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy and efforts — working to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation and culture. The role combines strategy, culture change, and influence across the business, and its impact depends heavily […]
Carried Interest Explained
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerCarried interest (or ‘carry’) is the share of a private equity fund’s investment profits paid to the fund’s managers (the general partner) as their performance reward, above a return of capital and often a preferred return to investors. It is the primary way PE professionals […]
Beauty in the Middle East: Leadership for the Region
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe Middle East is an important, high-value, and distinctive beauty market — with sophisticated, engaged beauty consumers, particular preferences and cultural considerations, and specific retail and channel dynamics. Leading in or into the region takes genuine understanding of its consumers, culture, and market, combined with […]
ESG and Leadership: What It Means for the C-Suite
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerESG (environmental, social, and governance) refers to how a business manages its environmental impact, its social responsibilities, and its governance. For leadership, it has become a genuine strategic and stakeholder consideration — requiring leaders who understand and can act on ESG authentically and commercially, integrating […]
Inclusive Beauty: Leadership for an Inclusive Industry
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerInclusive beauty reflects the industry’s shift toward serving all consumers — across skin tones, ethnicities, ages, genders, abilities, and identities — authentically and well. For leadership, it means genuinely understanding and committing to inclusivity, building brands and products that serve diverse consumers, and embedding inclusivity […]
