“Leadership is about building genuine relationships and staying engaged. THG encourages that mindset—I’ve been lucky to work in an environment where I can explore different opportunities and contribute to meaningful projects.”

Laëtitia joined THG Beauty two years ago, and just after having her daughter, she jumped straight into her role as Brand Marketing Manager for Mamma Mio. Within a year, she progressed to Head of Brand & Product for Bodycare & Cosmetics, overseeing brands like Ameliorate, Illamasqua, and Grow Gorgeous.

With a career fuelled by a deep passion for branding, and a keen curiosity in consumer behaviour, Laëtitia has a sharp instinct for shaping brand identities and developing products that meet the needs of today’s consumers. We sat down with her to talk about her journey, her advice for aspiring leaders, and the ever-evolving beauty industry—what drives its trends and why she believes self-expression is at the heart of it all.

Can you talk us through your role and how it’s evolved since joined THG Beauty?

I'm Head of Brand & Product for several beauty brands within THG. I oversee skincare brands like Ameliorate, cosmetics such as Illamasqua, and we've recently taken on haircare with Grow Gorgeous, which is really exciting. I’m part of the beauty division and work closely with various teams daily, including the trade teams on direct-to-consumer (DTC) activations, the LOOKFANTASTIC (LF) team—since it’s our home site—and the sales team to ensure that whatever we develop in terms of branding and product gets into the right hands. Retail partnerships are a big part of this; for example, we’re launching in one of the top 3 UK supermarket brands the end of the year, which is a major milestone for us. We’re also in Boots and other retailers, so we work closely with those teams as well.

What attracted you to THG Beauty and your role?

I’ve always been interested in beauty, but funnily enough, it was never the product side that initially appealed to me. I wasn’t a beauty junkie, but I was fascinated by consumer perceptions of beauty—how people feel about themselves and their appearance. As a millennial, I grew up with a very prescriptive idea of beauty, but I always questioned it.

THG came as an unexpected but exciting opportunity. I had previously applied for a role while working in France but didn’t get it. Later, my current boss—who was a former colleague—joined THG and reached out to me while I was on maternity leave. She was leading the Mamma Mio brand, which focuses on pregnancy and postnatal skincare, and she thought my perspective as a new mother would be valuable. I hadn’t considered beauty within pregnancy before, but when you become a parent, you realise how important it is to take care of yourself during that vulnerable time. That personal connection made it a natural fit for me, and from there, I expanded into a broader role, which I absolutely love.

Why did you choose a career in branding? Was it always your aspiration?

Absolutely! There’s a family story about how I became obsessed with branding as a child. Ever since I watched Moulin Rouge for the first time- which was huge in the early 2000s, and around the same time, Chanel hired Nicole Kidman for a fragrance campaign. The commercial was cinematic—she was on a red carpet, wearing a breathtaking necklace, and it felt like an extension of the movie. I was mesmerised. My dad explained to me that what I was watching was marketing, and that’s when I knew I wanted to work in branding. If I couldn’t be Nicole Kidman, I wanted to be the person who put her in that setting!

For me, branding is about understanding the consumer—how they think, what they aspire to, and the contradictions in their behaviour. There’s been a big shift in marketing over the last 50 years. It used to be very pushy, but now consumers are more informed and intentional with their purchases. You can’t just push a product onto them—you have to listen and design something that truly meets their needs. That’s why my role spans both brand and product development. It’s about creating something that aligns with what the consumer actually wants.

Beauty trends change so quickly—what do you think drives them?

Trends are cyclical. As humans, we tend to gravitate toward extremes, and when one trend dominates, a counter-trend emerges. In the 2000s, you had the edgy, rock-and-roll Kate Moss aesthetic coexisting with Jennifer Aniston’s clean, girl-next-door look. Then came the ultra-curvy Kim Kardashian era, and now we’re shifting back to minimalism and ‘old money’ aesthetics.

It’s fascinating to see influencers evolve. Take Kim Kardashian—she’s been in the public eye for 20 years, and you can track her style evolution alongside major beauty trends. We’ve had a long period of ‘skinimalism’ and the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, but now there’s a pushback from people who want to express themselves more boldly—hence the resurgence of maximalist makeup and brands like MAC regaining popularity. Thin brows are creeping back in after years of bushy, natural brows being the norm. We’re always in this push-and-pull between extremes.

Do you personally follow beauty trends?

I like to think I’m not influenced by trends, but I probably am to some degree! As a teenager, I didn’t see many public figures who looked like me, so I learned early on that certain beauty ideals weren’t achievable for me. That pushed me to find my own style rather than blindly following trends.

That said, my beauty choices are very mood-driven. Some days I wear no makeup at all, while other days, I’ll wear bold coloured eyeliner that matches my outfit. It’s more about self-expression than following what’s ‘in’ at the moment.

How did you transition into a leadership role, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Curiosity played a huge role in my transition to leadership. I love talking to people and exchanging ideas. THG is fantastic for collaboration—it’s not just a buzzword here. If you have an idea, people actually listen and explore its potential. Many of my projects started from casual conversations where someone said, ‘That’s a great idea, let’s try it!’

I’m not as keen on traditional networking, but for me, leadership has been about building genuine relationships and staying engaged. THG encourages that mindset—if you show initiative, people will support you in bringing ideas to life. I’ve been lucky to work in an environment where I can explore different opportunities and contribute to meaningful projects. 

How have networking and community building benefited your career?

I think I always had a bit of a misconception about networking. I used to picture it as those awkward conference moments where you introduce yourself, exchange pleasantries, and move on. And while I'm an extrovert who enjoys chatting with people, I struggled with the idea that networking felt purely transactional—talking to someone just to get something from them in the future.

At some point, I realized I needed to reframe my perspective. I took part in a coaching session with Tom Yates from our brilliant Learning & Development team, and he really helped me rethink my approach. He challenged me to consider why I associated networking with being purely transactional and asked me to reflect on people I admire—do they network just for personal gain, or do they genuinely build relationships? That shift in mindset was really valuable.

I’ve also found that networking doesn’t have to look the way I once imagined. Take the Parents Network, for example—I joined because I’m a parent and wanted to connect with others in similar situations. There was no strategic intent behind it, just a desire to share experiences. But through that, I’ve met colleagues from Myprotein and THG Studios who I might not have otherwise interacted with. Those relationships have been incredibly helpful—sometimes, it’s as simple as knowing who to reach out to when I need help on a project. So, I’ve realised that networking is really about finding a way to do it that feels natural to you.

What advice do you have for anyone aspiring to become a leader in your field?

My biggest advice? Just go for it. I know it sounds simple, but it really is key. My previous workplace was fantastic in many ways, but it was very structured—each role had a specific lane, and you stayed in it. You had your social person, your influencer person, your retail person—everything was segmented. 

THG, on the other hand, has a very different culture. It’s the kind of place where you can shape your role to fit your strengths and interests. When I started as a Brand Manager, I found myself naturally drawn to the product side of things. I worked closely with our Product Manager, and when she moved on, I asked if I could take on that responsibility. It made sense, and it allowed for a more seamless process. Here, you’re encouraged to take ownership and expand your role if you see an opportunity.

THG is the kind of environment where learning by doing is part of the culture. So I’d tell anyone looking to step into a leadership role: don’t be afraid to try, to ask for more responsibility, or to carve out your own path. And if you do crash, just choose your timing wisely!