Building a career in CSR within the Luxury Industry

In 2020, Cécile became Chief Sustainability Officer at Guerlain, a pioneer Maison in terms of sustainability. Here, she talks about her passion for the environment and looks back on what has made her a key player in the corporate sustainability sphere.

Cecile, can you describe your career path ?

I’ve been a passionate advocate of nature and animal rights since I was a child, but out of practical concerns I decided to go to business school. I started working in finance, at the first socially responsible investment fund company, which became HSBC’s subsidiary. Then I took over as “Head of Dialogue with shareholders” for the bank’s socially responsible investments, before joining the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), the first environmental NGO, as Head of Corporate Partnerships Manager in the private sector, then as Head of Philanthropy.

One subject that had intrigued me during my years at WWF was sustainable development in the luxury market: Not once during my time there had I managed to get a luxury house on board with the “Panda”. So, fast-forward a little, and I quit my job to start writing a book about it for the publisher Eyrolles : “Luxury and Sustainability: A New Alliance” (Luxe et Développement Durable: La Nouvelle Alliance), the first book written on this subject in 2011.

Interacting with luxury houses was challenging at that time as many of them didn’t have spokespeople within the Maisons to share their commitments. But the book opened lots of doors for me. I became a freelance consultant for many different Maisons. I got the chance to give conferences all over the world, and later, to create the first modules about sustainable luxury for MBA courses.

I carried out varied missions, moving from the profit-generating sector (with a sustainable strategy for the Maisons, writing their sustainable development reports, formalizing partnerships with NGOs, etc.) to the non-profit sector (with the creation, for instance, of the first sustainable cashmere chain in Mongolia for AVSF Agronomists and Veterinaries without Boundaries).

Then in 2015 Laurent Boillot -  Guerlain CEO at that time (now CEO at Hennessy)- offered me to work at Cha-Ling, a Maison that he founded within LVMH. I became Head of Sustainability and Communication at the Maison, whose motto was “the alliance of luxury with sustainability”. I joined then Guerlain in 2019, a Maison that is a pioneer in terms of CSR. I joined as Head of Biodiversity and Sustainability Communications, a newly created position.

In 2020, Véronique Courtois  - CEO at Guerlain - gave me the exciting opportunity to become CSR Director and I feel truly honoured and enthusiastic to be part of this new chapter, especially in a global context where this topic is more important than ever. I am deeply committed to open new working paths, drive our rooted mission as part of Our Purpose, strengthen our key successes and continue to lead as a pioneer luxury House in the universe of responsible beauty!

What advice do you have for talents looking to kick-start their own careers in CSR?

Never stop educating yourself because there’s always something to learn about sustainable development and how it can be applied to Corporate Social Responsibility. In the early years of my career, in parallel to my day job, I earned a Master’s in Sustainable Development from Paris Dauphine University, then a Master’s from the ESSEC chair in Fundraising and Philanthropy. Sometimes your biggest obstacle is your own lack of confidence, so it can be important to establish your credibility through learning.

To succeed in this business, you always must push yourself to do more: even when it means taking risks. Set yourself challenges and discover new topics. Focus on the next big challenge and let it drive you, let it be the reason you get up in the morning! To me, sustainability is the key to everything. And this is exciting to get involved in this positive transformation of our Maisons and feel that we can all contribute to shape the future of our industries, as sustainability is definitely reenergizing innovation and stimulating creativity.