Meliore PR visits Hellenica Cosmetics S.A.
As part of the workshop “Leadership and Emotional Intelligence”, we had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of Hellenica Cosmetics S.A., a company whose purpose is to create innovative beauty products. Our task was called “Job Shadowing”, which means we had to observe a person working in a field we aspire to work in. Our person of choice was Carolina Pannity, the company’s brand manager.
Hellenica Cosmetics S.A. is the parent company of brands such as Seventeen Cosmetics, Radiant Professional, LORVENN HAIR, and Mon Rêve. Carolina is responsible for creating the right image for these brands, a job she is passionate about. To get all the information we needed we became her “shadow” for a day and asked her all the questions we believed would help us understand what kind of leader she is.
When we entered the building our immediate thought was how clean, quiet, and peaceful the place felt. We walked to a room designed specifically for team meetings and were offered a drink of our choice. We instantly felt more relaxed and ready to achieve what we went there for. Carolina made an amazing first impression on us, making the process that followed easy and fun. It’s important to mention how welcoming and respectful she was, two qualities we believe are essential for a leader.
Our conversation started by asking how exactly her position works. We chose this as our opening question because to have a productive conversation we had to be fully aware of her responsibilities. She explained that Hellenica Cosmetics is a production company and that everything starts with the creation of a product. The birth of an idea can be different each time. Most times products are created because of competition (what do they have that we don’t?), other times the idea comes from inside the company or from suppliers (we have this product, do you like it?). Once the product is chosen the step that follows is the branding process. This is when Carolina steps in and decides how the product will enter the market and what story will it tell.
Following that, we needed to know what a day of work looks like for her. She mentioned that her day starts with checking her emails before she leaves her house. Working with companies in different time zones makes it sometimes challenging to keep up, but if something urgent needs her attention she is there to take care of it. Even though checking her emails is an everyday ritual, every day looks different for Carolina. Some days there are issues in production that need her full attention, other days are less busy that consist of checking emails and doing small tasks here and there. Her favorite days are the creative ones when the team gets together to create new products such as eyeshadow pallets, where they mix and match colors to come up with the best combination possible. A few times during the month she visits the stores, a task that she considers her research. Lastly, she visits Asia once a year to strengthen their partnerships, and she makes small trips in Greece for the same reason.
The rest of our questions were focused on the leadership aspect of her job. We started by asking what she believes are the most important qualities for a leader to have. She answered, “ I want everyone to feel involved and that their contribution will make a difference and will be appreciated. When you feel that your opinion will be heard, you feel part of the process and in return, you will bring forward your best self. When you step into the office you have to feel that your boss understands how you feel”. She explained that feeling relaxed in your working space is crucial because the pressure of the job is intense. Carolina strongly believes that as a leader she is the one responsible for making the working environment peaceful. Professionalism is another quality she highlighted. In her own words, “Professionalism is needed because of the pressure this field of work comes with. When you have it there is no room left for tension and arguments that happen because of stress.”. The third quality she mentioned is the ability of a leader to have a clear vision. “A leader should have a clear vision, a clear image, and a goal that the team is working toward. Instilling trust in your team is a process that you build on continuously.” These three qualities, empathy, professionalism, and a clear vision are Carolina’s recipe for a successful leader.
Her answer to the previous question made us wonder if sometimes employees take advantage of her openness. This had us questioning how she sets boundaries and her answer was simple and to the point. “I have clear communication with my team. When something is wrong I must let my colleagues know. What I always do is explain why something is wrong. You can’t say no to things without offering a proper explanation. The key to success in this position is to build trust”.
In addition, we asked what she thinks are the pros and cons of a leading position. She started with the cons because she wanted to end her answer on a positive note since she loves her job. “The biggest con is the responsibility and anxiety you feel. Everything goes through you and the decisions you make affect everyone. It’s important to learn how to manage it and avoid letting it consume you. You have to have a clear understanding of where work ends and your personal life begins.” The biggest pro for Carolina is the satisfaction of making the decisions and the happiness she feels when the team works together seamlessly. After all, this is her job, to ensure that everything works how she envisioned it. Another pro of her position is the chance she has every day to think out of the box.
Lastly, we believe as a team that emotional intelligence is the most important quality a leader should have. We wanted to know had Carolina’s take was on the matter. We were very happy to hear that she agreed with our opinion. In her own words, “ Most arguments have less to do with the topic of discussion but more with the attitude of a person toward this topic. As a leader, I have to be able to perceive and understand each individual on my team. Everything starts with us. You have to get to know yourself. You can’t have empathy for others if you can’t understand your own self.
With that, we ended our conversation. What followed after was a tour of the office by the company’s digital communication manager, Katerina Karaliopoulou. She provided us with information about her duties, which was very exciting to us since we are part of the AD&PR LAB. She was very open and willing to share her experience in the field. We couldn’t help but notice how passionate she was about Mon Rêve and we are extremely grateful for the gifts she gave us once the tour was over.
The overall experience was very pleasant and we loved every second of it. We want to thank Ms. Carolina Pannity for her willingness to help us with this project and Ms. Katerina Karaliopoulou for the tour and the gifts. Last but certainly not least, we want to thank our professor Ms. Dimitra Iordanoglou who made sure this last project of ours was one to remember.
