157 - Vasiliki Petrou, Unilever Prestige

In Ep. 157 of Earned, Conor sits down with Vasiliki Petrou, formerly the CEO of Unilever Prestige. To start, we dive into Vasiliki’s extraordinary journey as a leader in the luxury brand sector. Vasiliki shares how she transformed brand management at Unilever Prestige by nurturing founders as integral co-pilots and aligning brand values with the evolving demands of luxury consumers. Her leadership has not only anticipated market trends but also established enduring value within the high-growth premium segment. We then discuss her ascent from associate brand manager to CEO, the importance of diverse skills and collaborative leadership, and fostering an environment where expertise and friendship thrive. Switching gears, we discuss Vasiliki’s focus on consumer health, longevity, and wellness, identifying promising opportunities for growth. To close the show, Vasiliki advocates for those in power to strive for a passion-driven, human-centric leadership approach that enhances performance and team satisfaction.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How Vasiliki embraced the philosophy that founders are the soul of their brands and leverage their passions and visions to build businesses with authenticity and longevity. 

2. How Vasiliki redefined luxury by integrating purpose and social impact. She shares examples of brands like Dermalogica, which is committed to vocational training for skin care therapists, and Tatcha, which supports girls' education, as proof of the long-term value of purpose-driven strategies.

3. The importance of collaboration over competition within brand portfolios. Vasiliki fostered a culture of interdependence among her CEOs, allowing them to share expertise and leverage diverse strengths across technology, creativity, and commercial thinking, ultimately creating exponential value.

 

Connect with the Guest:

• Vasiliki’s LinkedIn - @vasilikipetrou

Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ:

• Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley

• CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq

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