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.
What Does a Company Secretary Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Company Secretary ensures a company complies with its legal, regulatory, and governance obligations — supporting the board, maintaining statutory records, ensuring proper processes are followed, and advising on governance. Often underappreciated, it is a crucial role in good governance, and in many companies the […]
What Does a Managing Partner Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Managing Partner leads a partnership — a professional services, law, accounting, or investment firm — running the business while also being a partner and owner. The role blends leading the firm’s strategy, operations, and people with the distinctive dynamics of leading fellow partners who […]
How to Hire a Chief Administrative Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Administrative Officer by first defining exactly what the role will own — the mix of internal functions varies widely — then hiring a strong operator and coordinator who can run them well and free other leaders to focus on their specialisms. Look […]
How to Hire a Country Manager
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Country Manager who combines commercial and operational leadership with genuine local market knowledge and credibility, and the ability to represent the brand and work with headquarters. Define what the role owns and its relationship with the wider company, and decide whether you need […]
How to Hire a Deputy CEO
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Deputy CEO by first being clear about the role’s purpose — a partner sharing the running of the business, or a successor being prepared — and defining what they own and the CEO relationship. Look for a leader whose strengths complement the CEO’s […]
K-Beauty and the Globalisation of Beauty Leadership
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe rise of K-beauty and the broader globalisation of beauty have reshaped the industry — driving innovation, new trends, and global talent flows. For beauty leadership, this means valuing global perspective and cross-cultural capability, understanding that innovation and trends now emerge worldwide, and recognising that […]
The 100-Day Plan After a Private Equity Investment
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe 100-day plan after a private equity investment is the focused agenda for the crucial early period — establishing priorities, quick wins, and the foundations for the value-creation plan, while assessing and strengthening the leadership team. Because execution depends on leadership, getting the team right […]
The CEO’s Role in Shaping Culture
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA CEO shapes culture more than anyone — through what they do and tolerate, who they hire and promote, what they reward and measure, and the example they set. Culture is not created by statements of values but by the CEO’s behaviour and choices, watched […]
Delegation: Why Senior Leaders Struggle With It
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerSenior leaders often struggle to delegate because the very habits that made them successful — being hands-on, doing things well themselves, staying in control — become limitations at scale. Delegating well means letting go of doing, trusting and developing others, accepting things done differently, and […]
Leading Through Hypergrowth: What It Demands
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading through hypergrowth means building the organisation, team, and systems fast enough to keep up with growth while protecting culture and quality — and staying ahead of problems rather than firefighting them. It demands leaders who can hire and build rapidly, add structure at the […]
