In this new episode Steven sits down with the CEO and Co-Founder of DECIEM and The Ordinary, Nicola Kilner.Nicola began her career as a business-management student at Nottingham Trent University, where her sponsored work program with the pharmacy chain Boots led to her becoming one of the company’s youngest buyers. In 2011, she met Brandon Truaxe who would found and launch DECIEM in 2013, with Nicola serving as brand director. DECIEM was a skin-care company made up of 10 different brands, the most popular was ‘The Ordinary’, which was launched in 2013. After Brandon’s struggles with mental health crises, Nicola became DECIEM’s Chief Executive in 2018.In this conversation Nicola and Steven discuss topics, such as: Managing an organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic Recovering from the death of a founder and honouring their memory Juggling pregnancy, motherhood and being a CEO Making a company feel more like a family than a business The skills she implements as a leader and CEO You can purchase all of DECIEM’s products here: https://bit.ly/3MOAjQhFollow Nicola:Instagram: https://bit.ly/3qmYSMYFollow me:https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicola Kilner, former CEO of The Ordinary, shares her inspiring journey in building a $2 billion beauty brand. She discusses the radical decision to equalize pay among executives, emphasizing leadership transparency. Nicola opens up about the emotional challenges of losing a co-founder and how it shaped her approach to leadership. She also addresses the unique struggles women face in remote work and the importance of supportive company culture. Her insights on work-life balance and fostering community are both poignant and practical.