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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Second-Time CEO: What Changes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA second-time CEO brings the experience of having done the job before — knowing its realities, having learned from successes and mistakes, and carrying greater confidence and perspective. This experience is valuable, which is why second-time CEOs are sought after. But it comes with caveats: […]
Leading a Carve-Out: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading a carve-out means taking a business separated from a larger parent and building it into a capable, standalone company — establishing the functions, systems, and identity it previously drew from the parent, while running and growing the business. It takes leaders who can build […]
IPO Readiness: The Leadership Dimension
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerIPO readiness includes ensuring the leadership team and board are ready for life as a public company — with the right capabilities (such as a public-company-ready CFO and strong governance), the ability to meet public-market demands, and a board and leadership that can operate under […]
The Remuneration Committee: Role and Purpose
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerThe remuneration committee is a committee of the board — made up of independent non-executive directors — responsible for setting and overseeing the pay of senior executives, particularly the CEO and executive directors. It exists to ensure executive pay is set independently, fairly, and in […]
What Does a Senior Independent Director Do?
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA Senior Independent Director (SID) is a non-executive director who serves as a senior, independent point of reference on the board — providing a sounding board for the Chair, a channel for shareholders and other directors when normal routes are inappropriate, and a counterbalance that […]
How to Hire a Bath & Body Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire bath and body leaders who combine a genuine feel for the sensory, ritual experience the category offers with strong consumer and brand capability, and an understanding of its accessible, everyday nature and gifting dynamics. The best pair a sensibility for products that make people […]
