Global Category Director, Colour & Styling
A global personal-care manufacturer needed an experienced professional-hair category leader with the vision, technical understanding and international mobility to lead colour and styling from Italy.
The appointment
A global brief crossing innovation, category and commercial leadership.
The appointed leader would take responsibility for the client's global colour and styling category, working across research and development, marketing, product development and category strategy.
The brief required at least eight to ten years of relevant experience, a strong understanding of professional haircare, the ability to animate cross-functional teams and a willingness to relocate to Italy.
The challenge
A narrow international market with relocation built into the brief.
- Relevant global business-unit and category leadership experience.
- Specific professional-hair colour and styling knowledge.
- Credibility across innovation, product characteristics and design.
- The energy to lead across functions and jurisdictions.
- A willingness to relocate to Italy.
The search strategy
Global market mapping beyond visible applicants.
EB Talent built a focused target-company strategy and mapped category leaders internationally. Research concentrated on people with proven colour and styling depth rather than broad consumer-category experience alone.
Potential candidates were assessed for the technical and leadership requirements of the brief, their ability to work across functions and markets, and their genuine appetite for an international move.
The result
157 identified. Six shortlisted. One appointed.
The search identified 157 relevant professionals across the global personal-care market. Rigorous assessment produced a shortlist of six candidates for client interview.
The successful candidate brought more than nine years of category experience across multiple jurisdictions, extensive cross-functional leadership experience and the willingness to relocate to Italy.