How Olaplex CEO JuE Wong Reignites Her Team's Drive With Fresh Leadership

In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews JuE Wong, CEO of Olaplex, a science-led technology-enabled beauty company. Listen in as Wong discusses her career journey, including her current position (0:50), what makes Olaplex different from other hair care brands (1:58), and how the bond-building hair technology works (3:15).
Furthermore, Wong discusses why it’s important for her to work with existing teams when joining a new company (4:16), and what she does to stay mentally healthy to fuel great leadership (6:25). She shares how mentorship has impacted her career growth (8:01), how she continues to pay it forward and mentor younger leaders (8:32), and what she’s looking forward to personally and professionally for the rest of 2022 (9:50).
This episode was recorded live at Shoptalk 2022 in Las Vegas.
JuE Wong has been a member of the Penelope Group GP — the general partner of Penelope Group Holdings — since February 2020, and has served as a member of the board of directors of Olaplex Holdings, Inc. since August 2021. She has served as our chief executive officer since Jan. 8, 2020, and has served as president and CEO of Olaplex Holdings, Inc. since August 2021. Ms. Wong has extensive experience in scaling business and financial performance for all classes of business, from emerging businesses, middle market growth organizations, and established/legacy companies. She has strategic and operating expertise in digital and technology-driven platforms of growth.
Prior to joining Olaplex, Ms. Wong served as the global CEO of Moroccanoil Inc. from 2017 to 2019, the president of Elizabeth Arden from 2015 to 2017, and the CEO of StriVectin from 2012 to 2015. Ms. Wong currently serves as a director for Cosmetics Executive Women and Committee of 200 (C200). She earned a B.A. (Honors) in Political Science from the Australian National University.
Date: April 12, 2022
Credits: JuE Wong
Duration: 12:01
More Episodes
How Urban Zen CEO Helen Aboah Leads Innovative Teams Without Fear of Failure
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Helen Aboah, CEO of Urban Zen, a luxury lifestyle brand and a philosophy of living by Donna Karan. Aboah discusses how she incorporates wellness into her and her employees' lives, why she values mentorship, and her leadership strategies to keep her teams engaged and innovative. In addition, Aboah explains the groundbreaking Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program that integrates Eastern healing modalities with Western science.

TomboyX's Fran Dunaway on Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community Through Inclusive Leadership
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, WIRLC's Melissa Campanelli interviews Fran Dunaway, president and co-founder of TomboyX, the B Corp Certified LGBTQ+ size- and gender-inclusive intimate and apparel brand. Dunaway shares what it means to be a B Corp Certified organization, TomboyX's first-ever collaboration with Target to create an exclusive apparel collection celebrating Pride Month, and how she's overcome obstacles in her career as an openly gay leader.

Jane CEO Joana McKenna on Embracing Self-Identity at Work
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Joana McKenna, CEO of Jane. McKenna discusses what drew her to her current role, how her leadership style has changed over time to bring her individuality to the forefront, and her advice to others who aren't confident in embracing their authentic selves at work.

How Debbie Perelman Champions Mental Wellness at Revlon and Beyond
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Debbie Perelman, president and CEO of Revlon. Perelman discusses her career journey that led to her current position, her passion for mental wellbeing, how Revlon is supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of its employees, and more.

Claire Spofford on Mental Well-Being, Mentorship, Being a Mom, and More
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Claire Spofford, CEO of J.Jill. She is also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member! Spofford shares how she maintains her mental health and recharges to be a better leader, why she loves mentoring others, what she loves most about being a mom, and more.

How Tracey Brown Focused Her Career in Wellness at Walgreens
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Tracey Brown, president of retail products and chief customer officer at Walgreens. Brown discusses her varied career journey that led her to her current role, how her diabetes diagnosis became a guidepost for her career, and how supporting employee and customer wellbeing is core to Walgreens' DNA.

How Stacey Renfro Lives Her Mission to 'Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Stacey Renfro, CEO of mDesign, a home storage and organizational products retailer. She's also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member! Renfro discusses what drew her to mDesign after years at more traditional retail organizations, how she's aligned her career with her personal mission statement to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and more.

How Colleen Lindholz's Nonlinear Career Path Prepared Her to Lead Kroger Health
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co. Lindholz discusses her rise within the Kroger Co. from her first position as a store pharmacist, why she would often "take the road less traveled" when making nonlinear career moves, how she developed Kroger's "Food as Medicine" strategy, and more.

Lauri Kien Kotcher on Balancing Innovation and Heritage at The Shade Store
This episode of Women in Retail Talks features part of an interview with Lauri Kien Kotcher, CEO of The Shade Store, from our February Women in Retail and Total Retail Virtual Exchange. In this clip from the discussion, Kien Kotcher shares how she prepared to become the first outside CEO to join The Shade Store in its 75-year history, how she has brought an innovative approach to each new role during her career, and how to know when its time to transition to a new opportunity.

Anthropologie's Global CEO Tricia Smith on Career Development: 'Put Yourself in the Driver's Seat'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Tricia Smith, global CEO at Anthropologie, an URBN lifestyle brand. Among other topics, Smith discusses her current role, why she looks for career opportunities that allow her to always be learning and leading at the same time, and her advice for how other women can chart a course for their career in retail.

