Woman on top
JuE Wong may not be a familiar name to most Singaporeans, even those within the local beauty industry, but the petite 49-year-old Singaporean has been blazing a trail on the global stage from her base in the United States, where she has been living with her family for the past 20 years.
JuE Wong may not be a familiar name to most Singaporeans, even those within the local beauty industry, but the petite 49-year-old Singaporean has been blazing a trail on the global stage from her base in the United States, where she has been living with her family for the past 20 years.
Having started off in the finance industry as a successful commodities trader, Wong made the deliberate career switch to join the beauty industry 18 years ago when she was living in the US. “I’d started in the (beauty) space to look at cosmeceutical brands. I was seeing all the technology that was available in the dermatologist offices, and I thought that skincare could really benefit from that technology,” said Wong with a laugh.
Her foresight and interest in the then-fledgling cosmeceuticals industry led her to leadership positions in then-emerging cosmeceutical brands Perricone MD, Murad and most recently, as CEO at StriVectin, where the brand grew from US$170 million (S$229 million) to US$250 million in annual retail sales in her three years at the helm, before she joined Elizabeth Arden in August last year as the company’s president.
Her achievements were recognised with the Female Executive of the Year accolade at the Stevie Awards in 2014, which honours the top executives in business every year, and last year, she was honoured as one of the Women of Influence at the T.J Martell Foundation, the music industry’s largest foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding cures for leukaemia, cancer and AIDS.
Wong’s fast-talking demeanour and dynamic energy belie her go-getting personality. Even while nursing a cold, she zeroes in on the interview questions with focus and accuracy, throwing out surprisingly candid answers that are unusual for someone of her position. And her famed grounded attitude is evident in the way she speaks of what makes a truly outstanding top executive. “It’s very important to do a good job,” she said. “One that not just benefits the private owners and the private equity stakeholders but also the staff. I think that’s when you are recognised to be an extraordinary executive—when everyone with a stake in the company gets to benefit from its success.”
As the first Singaporean to helm a global beauty behemoth such as Elizabeth Arden, the role of mentor and trailblazer is one that Wong is happy to embrace. “I feel very fortunate that I can come home to mentor people here along the way, although it doesn’t mean that making it in the US is all there is to it,” posited Wong. Being an Asian woman at the top of a multinational company in New York is still a relatively rare occurrence that must have come with struggles aplenty, but Wong does not like to look back on the negative aspects of the path that had brought her this far. “My responsibility is not just to myself but, like our founder Elizabeth Arden, it’s now my turn to open doors and be the trailblazer for the people coming up behind me. Women in business in the past like Elizabeth Arden had a much harder situation than I did, so I really can’t complain,” said Wong with a smile.
“As a woman and an Asian, it’s a double-edged sword. The good thing is that, with the ascendency of Asia, people are more aware of Asia and Asian cultural influences like the Korean wave. The less positive side is that, despite all of the advancements in political correctness, when you walk into a room and the (people there do not) look like yourself, there’s a natural gravitation towards people who look and talk like you. Until the boardroom becomes more gender-neutral, there will always be a little bit of professional discomfort. But if they are uncomfortable, it’s then my job to make them comfortable.”
On whether being Singaporean has worked to her advantage or against her, Wong is a firm believer of the benefits of being uniquely Singaporean: “As Singaporeans, people assume certain traits and assets that you can use to your advantage. They think of us as hardworking, intelligent and that we can deliver results—all of which are true to an extent,” she added. “Even among Asian nations, Singapore has a good reputation for not just our economy but also our reputation as a people. Even when I was a student in Australia, the locals would make such assumptions about me, and I just said: ‘OK thanks, I’ll take it!’ We (as Singaporeans) can take advantage of the belief that the world already has of us.”
For now, the mother of two (she has a 23-year-old son and a 25-year-old daughter) is focusing her considerable energy on re-branding the 106-year-old American beauty brand into one that will appeal to a new digitally savvy generation hungry for newness. “At Elizabeth Arden, it’s about bringing back the founder and her voice. She was well ahead of the time; she is as relevant today as she was 106 years ago,” said Wong. “It’s crucial to broadcast through the voice and influence of the younger generation—they appreciate the fact that you are talking to them as smart individuals. Today’s communications is not about telling someone why they should believe, but showing them the evidence and talking to them as individuals,” she elaborated, citing the success of a recent digital campaign called “From The Desk of #LizArden”, which features comedian Chelsea Handler and fashion icon Iris Apfel.
Bringing a giant such as Elizabeth Arden into the digital age might seem like a 24/7 job, but Wong revealed she is no workaholic. “The things I stress over are not related to my job! I stress over my older dog—he’s going to be 17 years old. I analyse his movements all the time, and he’s the only being that I cook for. I find that when I disengage, it’s actually very healthy—I see things differently. I’ve tried to be a 24/7 person and what I found is that I’m not as good at thinking innovatively.”
The self-confessed beauty junkie has a 12-step beauty regiment when she is at home, and is obsessed with masks, but she envisions helping women, especially the younger ones, to keep it simple. She sees a gap in the market for nutraceuticals (products derived from food sources such as supplements) to be delivered via skin patches, and feel-good fragrances. “I also think it would be interesting to combine a serum with a moisturiser, so that’s all you need to travel with,” declared Wong with a twinkle in her eye.