Ron Gee’s career has taken him from chemical engineering and Kraft Foods to senior leadership roles at some of the biggest companies in beauty including L’Oréal, Coty and Shiseido. Now an Industry Luminary Advisor at Accenture, Ron joins Jodi and CEW President Elana Szyfer to unpack the unexpected career decisions that led him from engineering to finance, M&A and ultimately beauty and why learning the language of finance became one of the most important building blocks of his career.

The conversation offers a rare insider’s look at beauty M&A: why major companies continue acquiring emerging brands, why some acquisitions fail to meet expectations, and why a brand’s relationship with its consumer can be every bit as valuable as its products. Ron and Elana revisit examples including BECCA, Prescriptives and Clarisonic while exploring what can happen when an entrepreneurial brand enters a much larger organization and why timing, corporate culture and preserving the people behind a brand can make such a difference.

But the conversation ultimately becomes about what comes after a big corporate career. Ron shares why he’s increasingly drawn to helping smaller and middle-market companies grow, rather than simply taking another major operating role, while Jodi, Ron and Elana explore the rise of fractional executives and experienced leaders choosing work based on joy, relationships and impact. And in a revealing look at the next generation of beauty consumers, Ron shares what his 20-year-old twin daughters are actually buying, experimenting with and prioritizing from devices and nail art to NARS and Drunk Elephant.

This episode is presented by Beauty Connect.