In this episode, we talked about Angela’s career – as a professional and as a leader- what drove her to pursue the executive path, and how her environment growing up affected her decisions. She shared some of the inflection points in her career, emphasizing how she didn’t let her degree and diploma define her career path and her experience of being interviewed for a position alongside 31 other candidates.
We also discussed her promotion as the CEO of Avon, how it was not part of her plan during that period, and how the news came as a surprise. Angela also shared how she was passionate about trying new experiences and projects, which may have been a big factor in her promotion decision.
In addition, we dived into Avon’s transformation into an Omnichannel e-commerce company. Angela shared their journey and how building a team of enablers made the transformation a success. Having the mindset of being a partner to one another and leading a purpose, rather than leading one another. And while the transformation continues, the conversion has returned positive results.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Angela Cretu is an executive with 25 years of global professional and life experience in emerging and developed markets in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America; a turnaround leader of multiple end-to-end radical transformations, social selling evolution, brand rejuvenation, channel innovation and digitalization, a passionate connector of people and resources to create meaningful and sustainable value.
As the former CEO of Avon, she is a passionate advocate for Avon’s mission to empower women. Angela has been with Avon for over 20 years in leadership roles. She’s been involved in campaigns to drive positive change for women in countries worldwide, from tackling gender violence to promoting the benefits of economic empowerment for women and girls.
Questions I Asked:
- What moments made a huge impact in your career and as a leader?
- How were you appointed as the CEO of Avon? What are the factors that lead to this decision?
- What factors enabled Avon to transform into an Omnichannel e-commerce and digital company?
- From a Former CEO’s perspective, what makes a great supply chain leader?
Show notes:
- [01:11] Can you share with us some moments in your career that made a huge impact and difference to you as a leader?
- [05:37] Can you share with us the story of how you were appointed as the CEO of Avon?
- [10:20] What do you think put you in that position? Of being chosen as the next CEO of Avon?
- [14:41] What enabled the transformation of Avon? What are some nuggets of wisdom that you could share to pull off such a tremendous change of culture, model, and structure?
- [19:47] Rewiring the entire value chain to support the brand- the technology investment, to modernize the way of connecting people and enabling five million representatives around the world to create personalized services for their customers.
- [26:09] Having an ecosystem instead of having a hierarchical system inside the organization.
- [32:02] As a leader, having the humility to understand that you cannot do everything yourself- outsourcing completely the entire technology function in the company.
- [34:28] What, in your mind, as a former CEO, makes a great supply chain leader?
Quotes from the Episode:
Soundbite from the Episode:
About the Host:
Such an insightful discussion with Angela Cretu! I am your host, Radu Palamariu, Managing Director of Alcott Global for APAC and Europe, working on C-level and top management executive search assignments with Top Fortune 500 companies and local conglomerates in value chains for manufacturing, logistics, transportation, supply chain management, and e-commerce and also the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”.
Alcott Global provides Executive Search Solutions for key positions at all pillars of the end-to-end value chain: planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, e-commerce, and overall supply chain operations.
In our upcoming Makers & Movers face-to-face events, we bring together, in Singapore and Zurich, value chain executives to connect, collaborate, and innovate – a forum focused on business value creation.
We are opening on March 4th for Nominations for the 2024 edition of Leaders in Supply Chain Awards. We are looking forward to celebrating and awarding the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain of 2024 for their achievements in digitizing operations, decarbonization, and sustainability, as well as in creating a diverse and equitable environment for supply chain teams to thrive and excel.
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