Asha Coco

Vice President Business Development

Givaudan

Why is CEW membership important to you?

The CEW community has been by my side every step of my career path in beauty. As an undergrad at NYU, I used the directory as a resource for my first job search, which helped me land a role in the industry. CEW is one of my ‘go-to’ sources for industry insights with their engaging programming and rich content, as well as a platform to forge meaningful connections with the diverse beauty community.

Do you have any tips for getting the most out of CEW membership?

There are two key aspects of CEW membership that feed my thirst for curiosity – content and community.

I attend many events IRL and virtually which allows me to connect with former colleagues and clients while absorbing insights from industry leaders.  I also read ‘CEW Insider’ which is one of my key data sources to augment my pulse on market intelligence.

What advice would you give someone who is inspired by your career and one day wants to be in a similar position?

The path is not an obvious one.

Almost 20 years ago was on a traditional beauty brand management track when I discovered the fragrance supplier side of the business. This spark of curiosity allowed me to unlock creativity in ways I didn’t realize until I took that leap to ‘the other side.’ Even when I transitioned from marketing to sales and business development it was not an obvious step, but I was fortunate to have a mentor who saw my potential and helped me unleash a capability in my subconscious to create and commercialize business opportunities. Today, when I reflect on my career path, I can see how my marketing background on global beauty brands primed me with breadth of experience across diverse companies and product categories leading me to advise burgeoning brands positioned to become tomorrow’s unicorns.

You can’t rely on a corporate ladder, or checking boxes to get to your next step.  You need to step into unchartered territory and feel a bit uncomfortable to push yourself.  That is how you will propel yourself to the next level.

In what ways do you keep your team inspired during this unpredictable time?

During this time of isolation, it’s so important to find ways of strengthening the human connection.  Our team is using digital video platforms to make time to connect on a personal level in addition to managing critical business needs.

For example, every day my husband, toddler, and I cheer for frontline workers at 7 pm―my son brings all of his toy instruments.  I then decided to include him in a team meeting to celebrate recent accomplishments, maracas and tambourine in hand. We all rejoiced together!

The team has also done virtual product shares, like bring their favorite quarantine product for show and tell, or give each other tours of our new work from home space.  Even though we are not physically together, I feel we are closer than ever.