Practical, non-promotional guides on executive search, leadership hiring, C-suite roles, executive compensation, governance, and building leadership teams — with deep focus on beauty, personal care, and the broader consumer sector. Start with our hubs: C-Suite Roles, Executive Hiring Guides, Beauty Leadership, Executive Compensation, and the Glossary.
Beauty Ingredients & B2B Leadership: Hiring for the Category
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire beauty ingredients and B2B leaders who combine scientific and technical credibility with strong B2B commercial capability and an understanding of the beauty industry they supply. This behind-the-scenes world — ingredients, formulation, and contract manufacturing — differs markedly from consumer beauty, so the best leaders […]
Executive Coaching: What It Is and When It Helps
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerExecutive coaching is a professional development relationship in which a coach helps a leader reflect, grow, and perform better — through structured, confidential conversation focused on the leader’s challenges and development. Done well, with a good coach and a genuinely engaged leader, it can be […]
Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: A Leadership Skill
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerDecision-making under uncertainty means making consequential choices without complete information — which is most senior decisions. Doing it well involves gathering what information is genuinely useful without waiting for certainty that never comes, using judgement to decide with incomplete data, being willing to decide and […]
Leading Digital Transformation: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading digital transformation means genuinely changing how a business operates using digital and technology — not just adopting tools, but transforming processes, capabilities, and often the business model and culture. It takes leadership commitment from the top, clarity about the purpose (not technology for its […]
How to Hire a Baby & Childcare Brand Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire baby and childcare leaders who understand the category’s uniquely trust- and safety-driven consumer — parents making careful, emotionally significant choices for their children — and can combine deep consumer empathy with the quality, safety, and brand rigour the category demands. The best pair genuine […]
How to Hire a Beauty Devices Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire beauty devices leaders who combine beauty brand and consumer sensibility with an understanding of the hardware, technology, and often efficacy and regulatory dimensions that physical devices bring. The category differs from both conventional beauty and pure tech, so the best leaders bridge the beauty […]
How to Hire an E-commerce & Marketplace Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire e-commerce and marketplace leaders who combine genuine digital and data fluency with strong commercial and operational capability — understanding the mechanics of online selling, the customer experience, and, for marketplaces, the dynamics of connecting buyers and sellers. The best pair digital-native understanding with commercial […]
How to Hire a QSR & Restaurant Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire QSR and restaurant leaders who combine operational excellence at scale — running consistent, efficient operations across many locations — with brand and customer appeal and a genuine feel for food and hospitality. The best pair the operational discipline the industry demands with the brand, […]
How to Handle Multiple Job Offers as an Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHandle multiple executive offers by weighing them thoughtfully against what genuinely matters to you — the opportunity, the role, the people, and fit, not just the package — being honest and respectful with all parties, and deciding with clear eyes rather than being driven by […]
How Notice Periods Work for Executives
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerAn executive notice period is the time a leader must give — or work — between resigning (or being given notice) and their employment ending, often several months at senior levels. It affects the timing of senior appointments, gives both sides time to plan a […]
