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.
How to Hire a Ready Meals Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire ready meals leaders who combine strong commercial and operational capability — including the freshness, quality, and supply-chain demands of prepared food — with an understanding of the category’s convenience-driven consumer and the growing demand for quality, health, and premium. The best pair operational rigour […]
How to Hire a Condiments & Sauces Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire condiments and sauces leaders who combine strong brand and marketing capability with an understanding of the category’s flavour-driven loyalty, global and cultural diversity, and steady innovation. The best pair the ability to build and grow the beloved brands that anchor the category with the […]
How to Hire a Bakery Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire bakery leaders who combine strong commercial and operational capability — including the freshness and shelf-life demands distinctive to baked goods — with brand strength and an understanding of the category, from packaged bakery to fresh and artisan. The best pair the rigour to run […]
How to Hire a Chief Learning Officer
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Chief Learning Officer who combines genuine learning and development expertise with the strategic capability to connect capability-building to business strategy and needs — not just an administrator of training. Look for a leader who can anticipate and build the capabilities the business will […]
What Does a Chief Learning Officer Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Chief Learning Officer (CLO) leads a business’s learning and development — the strategy and programmes that build the skills, capabilities, and knowledge its people and the organisation need. As capability increasingly drives competitiveness, it is a strategic role, connecting the development of people to […]
Beauty Distribution & Wholesale Leadership: Hiring for the Channel
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire beauty distribution and wholesale leaders who combine strong commercial and relationship capability — building and managing the retailer, distributor, and partner relationships that get products to market — with genuine understanding of beauty and the distinctive dynamics of distribution across markets and channels. This […]
Beauty in Latin America: Leadership for the Region
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLatin America is a significant, high-engagement beauty market with a strong beauty culture, distinctive consumer preferences, and particular channel dynamics, including the importance of direct sales in parts of the region. Leading in or into it takes genuine understanding of the region’s diverse markets, consumers, […]
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 […]
