‘We want to open doors’: L’Oréal on its mission to nurture diverse talent
Marketing is where L’Oréal gets its leaders from, so supporting diverse employees to build a career is vital for future growth, says talent boss Michael Kienle.
By Molly Innes
For 32 years, L’Oréal has run Brandstorm, a global innovation competition that helps the beauty giant access marketing talent worldwide. To date, 650,000 young people have participated, with more than 100 universities integrating the competition into their courses.
During those 32 years the course has changed and so has marketing.
“It used to be a marketing-only competition,” explains Michael Kienle, global vice-president of talent acquisition at L’Oréal. Whereas 20 years ago marketers made up roughly 99% of entrants, now a third of Brandstorm entrants come from a STEM background, reflecting the changing shape of marketing careers.
