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 Denim Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire denim leaders who combine genuine product and craft expertise — denim is a technical, craft-driven product — with fashion and brand sensibility and the commercial capability to compete in a global, competitive category. The best understand denim’s blend of heritage, craft, and fashion, and […]
How to Hire a Lingerie & Intimates Executive
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire lingerie and intimates leaders who combine genuine product and design capability — including the technical demands of fit — with brand sensibility attuned to the category’s intimate, personal, and increasingly inclusive nature. The best pair a feel for beautiful, well-fitting products and the confidence […]
Leading With Data: What It Really Means
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading with data means using data and evidence genuinely to inform decisions and understand the business — while combining it with judgement, not replacing judgement with it. Done well, it grounds leadership in reality and improves decisions; done poorly, it becomes either data for show […]
Managing Up: A Skill Senior Leaders Still Need
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerManaging up means working effectively with those you report to — a boss, a CEO, or a board — by understanding what they need, communicating well, building trust, and making the relationship productive. Far from being political, done well it is about a genuine, effective […]
Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Why It Matters
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerEmotional intelligence in leadership is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions and to understand and work well with others’ — self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skill. It matters because leadership is exercised through people, and leaders with genuine emotional intelligence build trust, […]
Leading in a Downturn: What It Takes
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerLeading in a downturn means guiding a business through difficult, uncertain conditions — protecting its health through decisive, disciplined action while keeping sight of the long term, and leading people with honesty and steadiness through hard times. It takes clear-eyed realism, financial and operational discipline, […]
Competency-Based Interviewing Explained
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerCompetency-based interviewing assesses candidates by asking for specific, real examples of past behaviour against the competencies a role requires — on the principle that past behaviour is the best guide to future performance. It brings evidence and structure to interviewing, and used well, with rigorous […]
Structured vs Unstructured Interviews in Executive Hiring
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerA structured interview follows a consistent, planned set of questions and criteria for every candidate; an unstructured interview is a free-flowing conversation that varies by candidate. Structured interviews are more reliable, fairer, and more predictive because they assess everyone consistently against defined criteria, while unstructured […]
How to Hire a Head of E-commerce
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Head of E-commerce who combines genuine digital commerce and data fluency with commercial and customer capability, matched to your model — whether scaling a DTC business, growing e-commerce within an omnichannel retailer, or selling through marketplaces. Look for proven experience growing online sales […]
How to Hire a Head of Retail
By Annabel Norman, Managing Partner · Norman Consultants The short answerHire a Head of Retail who combines strong retail operational capability with a genuine feel for customer experience and the brand, matched to your retail model — whether flagship and experiential, scaled multi-site, or omnichannel. Look for a proven retail operator who can deliver consistent […]
