L’Oréal CMO Han Wen on The Power of Listening First

9 to 5ish with theSkimm

When Han Wen got a job at L’Oréal as an entry-level marketing associate, she didn’t even know what marketing was. The interviewers didn’t care. They spent the bulk of the interview talking about her bold outfit, which she got off the sales rack at J.Crew just an hour before. Fast forward to 2022, and Han became the CMO of L’Oréal USA at just 39-years-old. Talk about a full circle moment. Han shares how she made impressions throughout her corporate career, and how she’s gotten really good at listening – even when it might be hard to hear.

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Han shares:

• Why her work stint in France was nothing like “Emily in Paris”
• The best lesson she learned about being a people manager
• What she focused on instead of chasing after titles during her career
• How having kids destroyed any illusion of control, and how it carries into her work
• Why L’Oréal encourages some rule-bending to make great products

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