Why Every Brand Needs a Chief Visionary Officer According to Dermalogica CVO, Jane Wurwand

Jane Wurwand is no stranger to innovation. Her experience in the salon as a young girl put her on a course to launching Dermalogica, a professional-grade skin-care company, in 1986. At the time, the industry championed a makeup-first, skincare-second approach, but under Jane's leadership as Chief Visionary Officer, Dermalogica broke the mold. It has since become known for its idea-driven culture, high-tech teaching tools, and continued sustainability improvements.

According to Wurwand, becoming the visionary of your brand is all about nurturing one essential skill: foresight. She believes a visionary must be able to assess the world and make predictions about the future of their industry. "The visionary is a little bit like a speedboat attached to an ocean liner," Wurwand explains. As the speedboat, you go out and scout the horizon, then quickly return to report back findings before jetting off again and reporting back to the ocean liner (aka the brand).

For example, on a recent episode of WorkParty, Wurwand shared that in the early days of her career, before Dermalogica launched, she noticed a growing conversation about organic farming and sustainability practices. She recalls asking herself the question, "How will [this] apply to the industry I know, and love, and work in?"

When she started Dermalogica, this careful eye for innovation became her edge. The brand launched with a rigorous "no" list for its ingredients, banning things like formaldehyde from ever being used in their products, a practice that no other skincare line was doing at the time.

Fast forward to today, and Wurwand still uses her "speedboat" skills. Now, she's prioritizing planet Earth. In 2022, Dermalogica won the PCD Innovation Award in the Premium Skincare Category for its collaboration with Aptar Beauty on a fully recyclable, mono-material lotion pump.

To learn more about how to be the visionary of your company, Jane Wurwand's role, Dermalogica's sustainability promise, and how to become an intrapreneur, tune into this week's episode of WorkParty!

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