Mandy Fields of e.l.f. Beauty Speaks at the Forum for Executive Women
- Keywords:
- women in business
- leadership
December 05, 2022
|
Business Strategy
At our 9th annual Forum for Executive Women, we featured a panel of female C-level leaders to discuss how they navigated the successes and challenges of building their business and careers.
This year's theme focused on “Purpose, Ambition, and Success.” It was our pleasure to welcome Mandy Fields, CFO of e.l.f. Beauty, a skincare and cosmetics company that develops clean, cruelty-free, and premium quality products that are accessible and affordable.
Watch this video to hear how Mandy combined her interests and strengths with opportunities and risks that ultimately led to her achievements today.
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SLIDE: BMO Forum for Executive Women Presents Mandy Fields, CFO of e.l.f. Beauty
SLIDE: Discovering Opportunity
Mandy Fields:
As a kid growing up, I always had a knack for things financial, let's say. I remember sitting down with my mom as a kid, going through her budget.
I also used to run a little loan program with my brother when I was growing up. If he needed $20, he'd have to give me $40 back until I would agree to that.
So, I just thought about what company would be really cool to work for. And Banana Republic was one of my favorite brands. And so, I said: Well, I'm going to send an email to the CFO of The Gap, and he will help me find a job at Banana Republic.
And he actually never emailed me back. But a recruiter reached out to me later that week. And, you know, a few weeks later I had my dream role at Banana Republic.
And so that was my start into consumer, and so since then I've been in a number of consumer companies. And then the opportunity with e.l.f. came along in 2019, and I have been with e.l.f. almost four years.
SLIDE: Taking Risks
Mandy Fields:
When I had the opportunity to become CFO for the first time, that was a big jump for me.
When I saw the opportunity before me and there's nothing that I can't handle, but it certainly was a big risk. It was a high levered company, seven or eight times levered on EBITA. I had to refinance all of that debt. Now some of that was just me being naive and not knowing what I was getting into, but it was it was a great learning for me.
And so, I believe that the greatest risks you take can also have the biggest rewards.
SLIDE: Achieving Success
Mandy Fields:
I firmly believe that you can never be something that you're not. And so, I've always just been very true and authentic to myself.
And so, I had people at that time telling me: Oh, you're only here because you're a girl or you're a woman of color, and we're trying to increase our numbers. And I'm like: Really? Because I think that I was at the top of that analyst class and all those tests that we took. I'm pretty sure that I was the number one in the class, so I know that's not why I'm here.
People will try to kind of break you down, but I always just keep in mind, like, people have small vision. Don't let that dampen, like your big dream. Like you have to keep dreaming. Otherwise, you encounter so many things in life that, yeah, you fell off your game. So yes, I was always authentic to myself.
Marrying up like what you're good at with a passion: That is like the best combination for success. I was good at finance. I still am good at finance, I hope. I am good at finance. But I was in the wrong industry. When I got into consumer and married that up, holy moly, I mean it just set everything, it made everything so much easier.
So, when you marry up that passion with what you're really good at, I mean, the sky is the limit.
SLIDE: BMO Forum for Executive Women
At our 9th annual Forum for Executive Women, we featured a panel of female C-level leaders to discuss how they navigated the successes and challenges of building their business and careers.
This year's theme focused on “Purpose, Ambition, and Success.” It was our pleasure to welcome Mandy Fields, CFO of e.l.f. Beauty, a skincare and cosmetics company that develops clean, cruelty-free, and premium quality products that are accessible and affordable.
Watch this video to hear how Mandy combined her interests and strengths with opportunities and risks that ultimately led to her achievements today.
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