Annie Young-Scrivner, the CEO of Wella Company, recently visited the ghd Spain & Portugal headquarters in Málaga, Spain, where she shared her insights into leadership and the company’s strategic direction. During this visit, Estetica Magazine had the opportunity to meet with her in an environment defined by innovation and excellence. She outlined her vision for the future of Wella, emphasising the integration of technology, sustainability, and inclusivity as key pillars driving the growth of the company’s iconic brands and solidifying its position as a transformative force in the beauty industry.
You recently marked your fourth anniversary as CEO of Wella Company. What have been your primary goals since taking on this role, and how have these goals evolved in response to current market trends?
“Since day one as CEO, my aim has been to take our beautiful brands to new heights and grow Wella Company into the hair, nails and beauty tech leader that the best beauty professionals want to work with and offer the products consumers can’t live without. We have focused on leveraging the power of our R&D to deliver industry-leading innovation. And we greatly value the professional industry partnership we are proud to have with the legions of salons and independent stylists we serve around the world. In just four years, we have transformed our portfolio of brands while expanding globally and gaining market share, even during the pandemic and in a challenging global context. Our portfolio now includes both the #1 Salon Color Brand in the world with Wella Professionals and the #1 Salon Nail Brand in the world with OPI. Our focus remains on building a high-performance company –the best beauty company in the business– and one that is built to last for the long term.“
Wella Company brands have a strong presence globally. How do you balance global strategies with local market needs, especially in regions with different beauty standards and preferences?
“We have a multifaceted portfolio of brands and products which complement each other to meet professionals’ and consumers’ needs around the globe. We have R&D facilities located in each region to be closely connected to emerging local trends. We also rely on our amazing network of professional stylists, educators and ambassadors who work in key markets and travel to the 100+ countries where our products are sold. They have their finger on the pulse of what customers and consumers in each country are looking for and their insights inform our pipeline of upcoming innovations for both professionals and consumers. We can spot a trend in Japan, for instance, and develop a new service offering or style that inspires culture and fashion all over the world.“
Since acquiring ghd, how has Wella Company integrated the brand into its broader portfolio? What opportunities do you see for ghd within the larger Wella Company ecosystem?
“ghd (good hair day) has played an important role within our broader portfolio of market-leading and innovative brands and products since Wella Company was founded in December 2020. ghd has been a high growth brand under the Wella Company family of brands since our start. An exceptional R&D team have created innovation firsts – the first wet-to-dry styler with the ghd Duet Style and now the ghd Duet Blowdry are just two game changing examples. ghd has great runway ahead too in market and channel expansion. The US is a big opportunity area for ghd, as is Asia. We are creating closer collaborations between ghd and our hair and nail brands as well. For example, Wella Professionals and ghd teamed up to style the models’ hair for Victoria Beckham’s fashion shows this year, both the AW24 and SS25 shows. And this summer, OPI and ghd collaborated for the launch of Colour Crush, a limited-edition selection of ghd professional styling tools in bold, vibrant colors, paired with matching OPI nail lacquer shades for the season. Together, the top pro beauty brands shared their love of bold, empowering color with consumers and professionals.“
ghd is known for its high-performance styling tools. How do you see innovation playing a role in the future of the brand, and what can consumers expect in terms of new products?
“Delivering innovative, high-performance products is the focus for all of our Wella Company brands. ghd is redefining beauty tech and will continue to lead with its innovation and digital-centric strategy, which are driving growth for the brand. In fact, ghd has nearly doubled investment in R&D over the past four years and will continue to increase over the coming years to support the brand’s ambitious growth plans. We have a dedicated R&D lab in Cambridge, UK, discovering and developing the latest innovations and advancements in heat technology.
These efforts reinforce our commitment to offering professionals and consumers the highest quality products – all of which deliver outstanding performance and maintain ghd’s status as a game changer in the category and a true beauty tech leader. Hair health remains a priority for our consumers and ghd will continue to develop tools which deliver no damage to the hair. We also see great opportunity with multi-purpose tools that save consumers valuable time and make hairstyling routines easier.
Our recent products are just a preview of the innovation to come: ghd Duet Style invented a new category in hot tools in 2023, introducing the first 2-in-1 hot air styler combining the air power of a hairdryer with the heated plate technology of a styler. It transforms hair from wet to dry and sleekly styled with no damage, while also reducing energy consumption by up to 45%. It is ghd’s #3 best-selling product. In July 2024, ghd expanded the wet-to-dry category with the new Duet Blowdry – a 2-in-1 hair dryer brush, designed to take hair from wet to blow dried with no heat damage and 3 times more volume. And ghd Chronos, which launched in February, is the latest breakthrough HD styler that reduces frizz, adds shine, and styles faster for incredible results that last 24 hours with no extreme heat damage. In May, ghd launched the ghd Mini, designed for precision styling from the root on short hair and fringe.“
As a female CEO in the beauty industry, what advice would you give to women aspiring to leadership roles? How has your journey shaped your approach to leadership at Wella Company?
“Set an ambitious goal – dream big – and build the team to deliver it. I started my career at PepsiCo in the management training program. It was there that I got my start as a salesperson. From that role I moved into the District Manager job leading a team of people much older than me. They taught me the importance of teamwork and having common goals. Working together and winning both peoples’ hearts and minds to be a success. That has stayed with me throughout my career. I am also a firm believer in mentorship; it has an incredible power to influence younger generations. I aim to guide and mentor women within and outside our company, sharing my experiences and lessons learned to help them navigate the corporate ladder more effectively and achieve their dreams.“
Wella Company operates in a highly competitive market. How does the company differentiate itself from other leading beauty brands, particularly in the haircare and styling segments?
“Wella Company is one of the fastest growing companies in the $130+ billion hair and nail segment of the beauty industry. Across our portfolio of market-leading brands, we take a unique approach that combines science, technology, and artistry to develop performance-led products. This is often distinguished by patented technology, a mark of the legendary Wella Company difference. Importantly, we view our success as tied to the success of the professional beauty industry across the more than 100 countries in which we operate. We are proud to support and serve legions of beauty professionals – independent and salon-based stylists, and many who are small businesses. We know that when the industry thrives – we do too. With innovation as our silver bullet, and our nimble, customer-and consumer-centric approach, we are differentiated in the marketplace and well positioned for continued growth.“
Looking to the future, what excites you most about the direction Wella Company and its brands, including ghd, are headed? What innovations or trends do you think will define the next chapter of the beauty industry?
“We’ve made great progress in our first four years and believe our brand portfolio still has tremendous runway. We’ve built a multi-year innovation pipeline of products to delight customers and consumers. And we’re making strong inroads in the haircare category, particularly with our Wella Professionals Ultimate Repair line which is performing well in markets around the world. Hair care is an even bigger category than hair color, providing a huge growth opportunity for us.
One key trend we are excited about and are delivering on is the skinification of hair: we play at the forefront of consumers’ expanded interest in their hair, which is similar to what happened in the skin category a decade ago and is expected to drive significant growth in the segment. We continue to build on the momentum of our Wella Ultimate Repair line, with our recent launch of Ultimate Repair Night Serum. Nioxin Power Serum is the latest hack for outsmarting hair loss and keeping your hair in your head: “hair anchorage.”
That refers to a reduction of hair thinning by improving the hold of the roots to the scalp. And that’s not all. We are expanding our reach to ensure our brands are meeting our customers and consumers where they shop – in a wide variety of online and physical stores. One key digital platform we’re focused on to benefit our pro customers is called Wella One. It is a one-stop location for ordering products, taking educational training sessions, connecting with the community, accessing partner benefits, gaining business-building insights, and conducting business operations like managing appointments and paying invoices. Overall, our future is bright with multiple paths to unlocking growth!“
