As General Manager, Global Marketing and Business Development, NYX Professional Makeup, Nathalie Kristo has helped turn the digital savvy makeup brand into a brick and mortar one-to-watch. Case in point, in-store videos featuring social media influencers using NYX products help shoppers navigate all of the brand’s color offerings. Here, Nathalie talks about how her skills have evolved over the years, and how CEW played a role in developing her career.


Beauty Insider: What are some of the skills you have honed over the course of your career that bring success to your daily role?


Nathalie Kristo: I have certainly honed my adaptability skills over the years. Throughout my career, I have had the chance to work on different brands and businesses, in different countries, with different cultures and team dynamics. I have often had to adapt to new environments. Today’s landscape and workplace are very different to when I first started in CPG Brand Management many years ago. To keep up with this ever-changing world, I have also honed my listening skills. More than ever I find it important to really listen to our changing consumers, to our teams and to our gut instincts in order to stay relevant, to be agile and to work better together.

BI: What about your job excites you most?
NK: Everything! As the global head of NYX Professional Makeup, my job allows me to have the full view on the brand and business, including: setting growth vision and global strategy; building brand equity and overseeing P&L management; launching our innovative new retail stores concept; and overseeing my teams on exciting digital, social and product innovations. Every day is fast-paced and brings something new. We have a unique brand and community culture that is resonating with today’s consumers. We are growing at an explosive pace and hitting exciting new milestones. It is energizing to lead a brand that is constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries, and to drive a truly global brand that is connecting with our consumers in the same way around the world, from the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.

BI: What are some of your leadership tips, i.e. how do you lead your team?
NK: I lead my team with trust, respect and empowerment. I have the privilege and sheer joy to work every day with a group of incredibly talented and entrepreneurial people that inspire and motivate me. I strive to inspire, motivate and enable them to achieve their highest potential, individually and as a team. In our team, we value openness and collaboration. Everyone has a strong voice and an important role to play in moving the brand forward.

BI: When you joined CEW, do you recall your main motivation for joining?
NK: I joined CEW when I arrived in New York six years ago as a way to connect with my colleagues in the beauty industry. I remember first being impressed by the sheer number of people in the CEW community, and even more so by the engagement of the CEW members to our community. It has always been important to me to be a part of this unique organization that celebrates, empowers and promotes women to leadership roles.

BI: How has being a member helped your career?


NK: I have met many interesting individuals through CEW, both in New York and now on the West Coast. At every CEW event, I learn something new or feel inspired by the speakers or professionals I exchange with. Gaining insight into the leaders, specifically the female leaders, in our beauty industry has been a source of inspiration for me in my career.

BI: What three pieces of advice would you give to new marketers in the beauty industry?


NK: First, be authentic and true to yourself, and as a marketer, be true to your brand. Second, be adaptable and ready to change; get to know your consumers as people and evolve with them and their changing world. And third, be courageous and take risks. Try new things and build conviction behind what you believe in.

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