'The most exceptional people leaders are those who recognise their role in nurturing their equity as intrapreneurs'
We spoke to Nico Morga Alden, Chief Brand Officer of Estrid, about career adjustments, sustainability, subscription models, and much more. Nico Morga Alden, Chief Brand Officer of Estrid, spoke to Nico Morga about the company's growth, career adjustments, sustainability, subscription models, and much more. He discussed the importance of finding a stronger, more skilled leader to make a career adjustment. Estrids is committed to being ‘more than just a razor company’ with a clear focus on purpose and activism, and a cruelty-free portfolio of sustainable body care and hair removal products. He also discussed how the company is looking to benefit from its expansion and its focus on sustainability.
Publicados : 2 anos atrás por Alice Cumming no Business
We spoke to Nico Morga Alden, Chief Brand Officer of Estrid, about career adjustments, sustainability, subscription models, and much more.
Before we start, can you tell us a bit about Estrid and your role in the company.
I joined Estrid as the first Chief Brand Officer in August of this year. Estrid is a body care brand from Stockholm, Sweden. We are known for our razor subscriptions, but we are dedicated to being ‘more than just a razor company’, with a clear focus on purpose and activism, and a cruelty-free portfolio of sustainable body care and hair removal products.
My appointment as Chief Brand Officer comes during a significant period of success for Estrid. Over the past four years, the brand has experienced explosive growth, and we are recently reaching some very important milestones, including expanding into over 10,000 doors in key European retailers and establishing a second corporate headquarters in London.
You were previously global marketing lead at MAKEUP BY MARIO. Whilst they are not wildly different, how have you found the adjustment from make-up to skincare?
I’ve actually spent much of my career in the skincare category, so returning to it has been a great journey back to a category I’m truly passionate about. I’ve had the privilege of working across most major beauty categories, including skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare, and even nail care. And one thing I’ve been lucky with throughout my career is working with incredible founders, just like at Estrid.
The real adjustment is in distribution: Estrid has experienced explosive growth as a Direct-to-Consumer brand, and my task is to bring deep commercial experience and channel strategy thought leadership to grow into a top-performing omni-channel brand.
What advice do you have for business leaders looking to make a career adjustment?
Career changes are inherently uncomfortable, even for those of us who are change-prone. Navigating a new situation requires a degree of fearlessness and a willingness to embrace discomfort. My advice is to seek out support to help you navigate this phase. On the other side awaits a stronger, more skilled leader.
As someone who has been following the brand for a number of years now, it is nice to see the company expanding and keeping the values originally set out, as opposed to radically changing to better suit the market. In what ways do you believe Estrid’s growth is attributed to their heightened social media presence following the trend of sustainability?
Social presence is absolutely a key factor in Estrid’s growth, thanks to a hyper-engaged audience who were seeking a fresh alternative for hair removal routines, compared to brands that had long been developing a homogenous product offering. In terms of social, Estrid has also remained true to its roots – to this day, the brand continues to partner with content creators from its early days, who formed a key part in the brand’s rise.
That said, we’re continuing to expand on social partnerships, with new and emerging content creators that are a true reflection of Estrid and share the brand’s values. Estrid has a very clear brand identity, and its social activity is a reflection of this.
With regards to sustainability, we don’t believe that it is a ‘trend’ as such, and instead think it should be viewed as a responsibility to our community. We’re delighted to see that, over the years, people have adopted a commitment to sustainability. Our audience understands that, by choosing Estrid, they’re making a decision to select reusable, cruelty-free, vegan products.
Estrid has recently opened a second corporate headquarters following significant growth. How is the company looking to benefit from such an expansion?
We’re thrilled to open our second corporate headquarters towards the end of this year, heading into 2024. As we set our sights on ambitious goals for 2024, recruiting world-class talent from a broader talent pool is a crucial part of fueling that growth.
Estrid utilises the subscription business model for recurring revenue, is this something you believe benefits both the business and the consumer, or just the business?
The subscription model unquestionably benefits the consumer. At every touchpoint, we prioritise service, so it’s important to us that customers can access Estrid in the most convenient way for them. If it’s more convenient to have your razor refills delivered to your door, you can subscribe to our refill programme online.
If you prefer the convenience of picking up your razor refills at your corner store, we also distribute them through iconic retailers throughout Europe such as Boots, DM, and Rossman. The subscription model is an essential part of our core business, but it’s just one of the many tools we employ to provide convenience to our community.
What, to you, makes a great business leader?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside exceptional leaders throughout my career. There are certain traits that I find particularly admirable in great leaders – they are inspirational, capable of making a meaningful impact, creative thinkers, ambitious, and kind.
The most exceptional people leaders are those who recognise their role in nurturing their equity as intrapreneurs. They understand that by cultivating this equity, they can harness the power needed to uplift and empower the people they lead.
Tópicos: Business Leaders