Key insights

• AI Integration and Personal Insights

  • 💪 Importance of recognizing strengths, supporting female founders, and integrating AI in luxury brands.
  • ✨ Sharing insights on favorite things related to Chanel and the importance of surprise and wonder.

• Long-Term Mindset and Brand Building

  • 🏢 Chanel's long-term mindset and focus on brand building.
  • 📈 Belief in the long-term growth of the Chinese luxury market and potential in emerging markets.
  • 🌱 Emphasis on mentorship and supporting professional growth.

• Vision for Chanel and Coping with Pressure

  • 💭 Desire for Chanel to continue inspiring, values impact and human skills, and aims to break norms.
  • 🙏 Coping with pressure through gratitude, journaling, community support, and seeking mentor perspectives.

• Adapting to Change and Sustainable Strategies

  • 👂 Importance of listening to every voice, being compassionate and empathetic, and staying future-fit.
  • 🌍 Adapting Chanel's strategy for new generation consumers through sustainability and philanthropy.

• Career Transitions and Leadership Principles

  • 🔄 Navigating multiple career transitions and the importance of unlearning and relearning.
  • 🌱 Emphasis on holistic thinking, benevolence, kindness, and compassion as leadership principles.

• Gender Balance and Transition to Chanel

  • ♀️ Supporting women's ambition and confidence, involving men, and changing culture for gender balance.
  • 👠 Transition from Unilever to Chanel and the allure of Chanel's iconic brand and dynamic luxury sector.
  • ❤️ Loving the new role at Chanel.

• Embracing Failure and Achieving Leadership

  • 👩‍👩‍👧 Emphasis on the importance of family support, embracing failure, and making career choices.
  • 💼 Achieving gender parity at Unilever globally and driving the company culture.

• Lena's Trailblazing Journey

  • ⭐ Lena overcame challenges and became the first woman of color to lead a luxury major brand.
  • 🌟 She learned resilience from an early age, sought mentors, and embraced continuous learning.
  • 🔥 Her journey is marked by determination and a commitment to paving the way for others.

Q&A

• What were the speaker's insights on recognizing strengths, AI integration in luxury brands, and favorite things related to Chanel?

  The speaker discussed the importance of recognizing strengths, supporting female founders, and the need for AI integration in luxury brands while maintaining a focus on human creation and integrity. They also shared insights on their favorite things related to Chanel and the importance of surprise and wonder.

• What differentiates Chanel in terms of mindset, focus, and future growth?

  Chanel's long-term mindset and focus on brand building differentiate it. The company believes in the long-term growth of the Chinese luxury market and sees potential in emerging markets like India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. Chanel also emphasizes the importance of mentorship and supporting others in professional growth.

• How does Lena cope with pressure and her vision for Chanel?

  Lena copes with pressure through gratitude, journaling, community support, and seeking mentor perspectives. Her vision for Chanel involves inspiring others for the next 100 years, valuing impact and human skills, and being remembered for making others feel good and breaking norms.

• How is Chanel adapting its strategy for the new generation of consumers?

  Chanel is adapting its strategy by focusing on sustainability, investing in philanthropy to support women and girls globally, and becoming more transparent and open. The company aims to engage new consumers and value diverse perspectives while staying future-fit and compassionate.

• What were the key points discussed regarding the speaker's quadruple career transition, leadership skills, and principles?

  The speaker successfully navigated a quadruple transition in her career and emphasized the importance of unlearning and relearning, seeking to understand before seeking to change, and applying transferable leadership skills. Their leadership principles are rooted in holistic thinking, benevolence, kindness, and compassion.

• What was the speaker's experience transitioning from Unilever to Chanel?

  The transition from Unilever to Chanel was a tough decision, driven by the allure of Chanel's iconic brand and the dynamic luxury sector. The speaker expressed love for the new role at Chanel and the excitement it brought.

• How did the speaker achieve gender parity at Unilever globally?

  The speaker emphasized the importance of family support, embracing failure, driving company culture, and achieving gender parity at Unilever globally. They also discussed the transition from engineering to human resources and the significance of understanding and engaging with people.

• What is Lena's journey as a trailblazer and in leading a luxury major brand?

  Lena overcame challenges and became the first woman of color to lead a luxury major brand. Her journey is marked by determination, resilience from an early age, seeking mentors, embracing continuous learning, and a commitment to paving the way for others.

• 00:05 Lena is a trailblazer who overcame challenges and was the first woman of color to lead a luxury major brand. She learned resilience from an early age, sought mentors, and embraced continuous learning. Her journey is marked by determination and a commitment to paving the way for others.
• 06:47 A woman shares her journey of embracing failure, making career choices, and achieving leadership. She emphasizes the importance of family support, embracing failure, and driving company culture. She achieved gender parity at Unilever globally.
• 13:39 Supporting women's ambition and confidence, involving men and changing culture are crucial for gender balance. Transitioning from Unilever to Chanel was a tough decision but the allure of Chanel's iconic brand and dynamic luxury sector made it irresistible. Loving the new role at Chanel.
• 19:45 The speaker successfully navigated a quadruple transition in her career, from a consumer goods company to a luxury brand, from public to private company, from Dutch to French culture, and from managing people to overseeing everything. She emphasizes the importance of unlearning and relearning, seeking to understand before seeking to change, and applying transferable leadership skills. Her leadership principles are rooted in holistic thinking, benevolence, kindness, and compassion.
• 26:41 The speaker emphasizes the importance of listening to every voice, being compassionate and empathetic, and staying future-fit. Chanel is adapting its strategy for the new generation of consumers by focusing on sustainability and investing in philanthropy to support women and girls globally. The company is also working on becoming more transparent and open despite being an iconic but not loud brand.
• 32:57 Lena wants Chanel to continue inspiring for the next 100 years, values impact and human skills, and aims to be remembered for making others feel good and breaking norms. She copes with pressure through gratitude, journaling, community, and seeking perspective from mentors.
• 39:35 Chanel's long-term mindset and focus on brand building differentiate it from other luxury brands. The company believes in the long-term growth of the Chinese luxury market and sees potential in emerging markets like India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. The importance of mentorship and supporting others in professional growth is emphasized.
• 45:32 The speaker discusses the importance of recognizing one's strengths and supporting female founders. They emphasize the need for AI integration in luxury brands while maintaining a focus on human creation and integrity. The speaker also shares insights on their favorite things related to Chanel.