I am really excited about today’s episode because it’s about an industry I don’t know much about. Beauty. Among my circle of friends, I have the chance to know a lot of people working in fashion but Francesco Fabiani, Education Manager at Tom Ford Beauty is one of the rare I have working in the cosmetics industry.
I always wanted to interview him because his job intrigued me. What I didn’t expect though was to be able to discover beauty AND the behind-the-scenes of a fantastic brand like Tom Ford Beauty. So I can’t thank him enough for his time, his kindness and the very interesting conversation we had.
Francesco came to London 7 years ago and ended up working for Tom Ford Beauty, a little bit by chance and a lot by passion. He went from starting as a sales assistant on the shop floor to education manager, so he has a broad knowledge about working your way up and everything you need to know about beauty at every level.
This episode is one you’ll love because I’m sure few of you know his job so here’s your occasion to discover it by tuning in!
Â
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/406391571″ params=”color=f7d7db” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
On how his career started…
I moved to London in 2011 after just completing my studies in Educational Technology and Special Education and I was looking for a new exciting adventure. I was quite open-minded in what to do, and something I had never tried was working in retail. I started working with a company that would book me in stores for temporary jobs, special promotions and cover absences. It was really a lot of fun. Apparently, I was doing quite well as a salesperson so they gave me a temporary job for a new brand launching in Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. The counter was just next to the Tom Ford Beauty Counter and I had a big passion for his Private Blend Fragrance Collection. I remember when few years before I went to the cinema to watch his movie A Single Man I fell in love with his aesthetic so much that the first thing I did the next day was going to find his scents. So I approached the Business Manager, asking for a job at Tom Ford. Any job. Luckily there was a vacancy coming, so I applied and a few weeks later I started as a Tom Ford Specialist.
On working his way up…
As I mentioned, I started working for Tom Ford Beauty as a Specialist, assisting clients on the shop floor in Harvey Nichols in April 2011. With the launch of Cosmetics alongside the existing range of fragrances in September 2011 and the growth of the team, I was promoted to Assistant Business Manager. One of the most exciting challenges here was to grow from being a peer of some of the team members to being one of their managers. In July 2012 the Business Manager role became vacant and I was promoted. In December 2013 the brand was looking for an Assistant Business Manager for a bigger account in Selfridges Oxford Street, and this is when I left Harvey Nichols to take on the challenge of a bigger team and completely different type of store.
On working backstage for Tom Ford fashion shows…
Working backstage was incredible. It was an honour being chosen by the Brand Education Manager to assist them backstage with the grooming of the models and back of house staff. Backstage is pretty hectic. There is the hair, the makeup, the dressing. But at the same time, everything was perfectly organised, everyone knew what they were doing, and seeing the level of attention to detail and passion of Mr Ford himself, working backstage with us, was a truly inspiring experience that I will remember forever.
On how his studies in Education (and passion) served him…
Education and trainings have always been a dream of mine. I studied education, I have always loved the idea to be able to get the best out of people, knowing that I can do something to make them be the best version of themselves in what they do. I have been fortunate to have amazing trainers when working on the shop floor and so I really wanted to be one myself. My company really values the experience of the people who make the brand what it is by presenting it every day to clients, by ensuring excellent levels of customers services, and also develops you during the entire journey of your career, so that you can aspire to be who you want to be in the future, knowing that it is actually a real opportunity. I am not the only person who was promoted from an operations role to a field or head office role.
The role of Field Education Executive is about working alongside the Sales Executive spending time travelling across the UK to support all the Specialists and Managers in our different point of sales. We do so with training, and personal development, setting sales and education goals with them, and supporting them with the right tools to achieve them. I have always loved having my trainers coming to store to spend time with me, so how could I not love being a trainer myself?
On the transition from shop floor to head office…
I felt that for me becoming a Field Education Executive was a natural transition because the company had invested time and resources developing me through the years. There are always little challenges along the way, but I had the best manager there, always able to support me in anything I needed and to look up to as an example.
Being on the shop floor first, I feel it added everything to my role. When speaking to my Specialists I knew exactly their point of view, their challenges, what they needed more help with because I was once in their shoes. I also felt that them knowing my background helped them trusting me more. We all like to be trained by people who actually know about the job, who have experienced the same situations and may have faced the same challenges.
On the role of Education Manager…
With the expansions of the Brand, the number of store and the responsibilities of my Director, the Brand had to look into new structures, so it was a great pleasure to be promoted to Education Manager and having a new Field Education Executive working in my team.
I now conduct classroom trainings, such as Basic Schools for new starters and Seasonal Seminars for updates. I also have a team including my Education Executive and Regional Retail Experience Ambassador to mentor and develop, so that they can be the best support for our Specialists who have the most important job: advising clients at the point of sale.
On a typical working week…
I don’t have a fixed agenda. My work definitely includes admin and distant management. When we have trainings I spend weeks in the training room at our head office, and when I am not conducting training I am on the shop floor with our teams. I always have my work phone and laptop with me, so that my office is with me at any time. I think I am very lucky having the right balance of both. I love being in the training room, I love being at meetings, but I would miss the shop floor if I had to be far from it for too long.
Where to next depend on the needs of the Business. The education team has its own agenda, ensuring the education strategies are shared with all Specialist across all point of sales to ensure consistency. However, ultimately the tools that trainers give to their trainees, in the retail industry, are there to support sales. So there is always an open communication with the Sales team, and following sales and teams review, we plan visits where our support is needed.
And finally, some advice to work in beauty…
If you have a passion for Fragrances and Cosmetics, then working in Beauty is just a joy every day. It is always very exciting, you get to meet new people, build beautiful relationships with your clients and play with the products you love the most.
There is always space for development and if you work hard is easy to be promoted. My best advice would be to be humble and open to do what is needed from you. Don’t stick only to what is in your job description. If you love your job it should be a pleasure for you to go the extra mile. Be prepositive. Show your passion and enthusiasm for what you do, and I can almost guarantee you that you will certainly become who you want to be. Good luck!
What do you think about this episode of The Glam Observer Podcast? Subscribe here on Itunes and for all those who do not have an iPhone, you can find it on Soundcloud here. Leave a review if you liked it ?
