Susan Akkad, Senior Vice President of Local and Cultural Platforms & Corporate Innovation of Estee Lauder, Podcast Summary
This week Ekta talks to Susan Akkad, Vice President of Local and Cultural Platforms and Corporate Innovation of Estee Lauder. Susan’s journey into the beauty industry is not typical, as she had every intention to join the Peace Corps after college. After spending time traveling abroad and learning about international relations, where she met her husband, they would then move to New York, and they both graduated from university. She always had a passion for writing, and with that, she went on to work in publishing and
media.
“I really like to write, and someone suggested, in addition to applying for entry-level positions in publishing and media, that I also do so in the public relations departments of companies that I had an interest in.” (Akkad).
Although she did not know much about the beauty industry, she wanted to learn and was determined to make her passion a reality.
“I liked beauty and style, and I knew I liked to write, so I applied for entry-level roles at Vogue and Estee Lauder companies. I had offers from both, and
the decision made, as I said, was a happy accident.” (Akkad).
She would then work in PR with Vogue and many more brands, learning how to market a product and how much beauty impacted our culture and lifestyle. It was as if Susan’s fascination with history and cultural curiosity with her exposure to the world of beauty the more she was
invested.
“I really didn’t know what you did at a beauty company, and that ground of experience, and really having a birds-eye view, I realized how woven beauty was with culture.” (Akkad).
As she evolved as a writer and a beauty specialist, she offered changes within brands as well as the marketing mindset and continues to keep up with how the beauty industry constantly changes. She wants all professionals, especially young people, to understand the importance of continuing to do and learn what you love and move in life with your passion in mind.
“The world is changed, the consumer has changed, beauty has changed, how we think about beauty has changed, and so my advice is to learn what you love.” (Akkad).
You can listen to the full episode here:
Authors: Remy Vidal & Jasmine Boskent
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