Operations and supply chain management are a science that require a lot of experience and technical know-how to lead – especially on a global scale. But people management is a science too, one that is often more challenging than the others. Caroline Troit leads Operations for the Luxe division of L’Oréal North America. She has end-to-end operational responsibilities for a portfolio of American brands and oversees the supply chain for all of L’Oréal’s luxury brands in the US and Canada, including Lancôme, Armani, YSL, and several fragrance brands. In this special collaborative episode between Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now, Caroline joins hosts Kristi Porter and Amanda Luton to talk about her love for working with people and how she has applied a background in engineering in the largest cosmetics company in the world.

Intro/Outro (00:02):

Welcome to Logistics with Purpose presented by Vector Global Logistics. In partnership with Supply Chain. Now we spotlight and celebrate organizations who are dedicated to creating a positive impact. Join us for this behind the scenes glimpse of the origin stories change, making progress, and future plans of organizations who are actively making a difference. Our goal isn’t just to entertain you, but to inspire you to go out and change the world. And now here’s today’s episode of Logistics with Purpose.

Kristi Porter (00:35):

Thanks so much for joining us for another episode of Logistics With Purpose. I am Kristi Porter of Vector Global Logistics, and I’m so excited because I have a new co-host for the first time. Also, a co-host outside of Vector, also a co-host that you may know her husband, the voice of supply chain now, Scott Luton. But I wanted to get Amanda in on the action. So, Amanda Luton, welcome to Logistics With Purpose Today. I’m so excited to be co-hosting with you.

Amanda Luton (01:05):

I’m so excited too, Christie. I was really honored and excited to be given the opportunity to co-host today, so I’m super excited. Yes.

Kristi Porter (01:13):

Well, we are gonna have a great conversation, um, behind the scenes. We’ve been talking, there’s a lot of interesting and exciting things going on, and I know part of not just the invitation, which I know was probably an honor to be nominated and to invite you onto the podcast, but when you heard who our guest was, you were also pretty excited to, to join in.

Amanda Luton (01:34):

Absolutely. Uh, this is gonna be a great episode. I’m really excited about it.

Kristi Porter (01:37):

Yes. So today we have with us Caroline Troit, senior Vice President of Operations at L’Oreal Luxe America. So Caroline, welcome to the show.

Caroline Troit (01:49):

Thank you. I’m very, uh, honored to be here and, uh, well done for getting my pronunciation. My name runs right, <laugh>. Thank

Kristi Porter (01:56):

You. You noticed a big pause I took before I said it to make sure I <laugh> I got it right. It’s pulling out, um, the very little French accents I know. And have picked up from movies. Thank you. That’s a great, a great compliment to me. So, before we get into L’Oreal, a lot to talk about their global name, household brand, but first we wanna hear a little bit more about you. So tell us a little bit about where you grew up in your childhood. I think people are gonna know from your accent. It was not the south of the United States. So tell us where you came from. <laugh>.

Caroline Troit (02:28):

Yes, very, uh, a shame for my accent because I have not been like more than 15 years in English speaking country. So <crosstalk> that. But yes, I did grow up in France, in Normandy, in a town called, uh, <inaudible> to be a very, uh, precise. And my parents built their house out of a cider barn in my grandparents’ backyard. And we would go there every, every weekend. And I think about it as we live like a really sustainable life, actually. We would grow our own vegetables, our fruits, we would make our own cider, which I got to drink a little bit when I was young, <laugh>. And we would compost. We had this big hole in the, in the forest actually, where we would compost, which we didn’t call compost. I didn’t even know what compost was until a few years ago. Uh, but that was compost.

Caroline Troit (03:21):

We would not drink, uh, in plastic bottle at all. Um, so it was a lot about nature and sustainability in, in a way, but we didn’t talk sustainability. Um, it was very lonely for me too. Uh, I have to say, there was no friend around. So I’d spent a lot of my time on these weekends reading books and uh, writing my journal and playing the piano, though I was not good at all at it. And my brother would be like, stop playing that same music. I can’t stand it anymore. And, you know, that made me, um, that shaped me to be a, a little bit of an introvert. Uhhuh <affirmative>. And at the time my dad was running my, uh, grandfather’s company. He was a roof material, uh, trading company. So kind of logistics in a way. Yes. And it’s a company founded after World War II when my hometown, like many towns in Normandy were destroyed.

Caroline Troit (04:17):

Yeah. And it was very successful, but it was super hard too. And I, I remember that lately my dad would work incredibly hard. He would come back at night very late. I remember he would have calls at night with some lawyers sometime and they would talk about like sweet people. They were not paying him. And I was young, I would be in my bed like praying for him. So he worked really hard. He works weekends, he didn’t take vacation. And I think I got a lot of my work ethic from, from my dad. And, you know, I’m very grateful that I worked for a company like L’Oreal with all those benefits. I really don’t take any of that for granted. You know, that’s a little bit my char

Kristi Porter (04:58):

The sustainability piece. I’m curious, was that like a conscious decision or something? They just were like, this is what we have available, this is what we need to make use of. How did that come into play?

Caroline Troit (05:09):

Well, that’s the thing that I find interesting that now we talk sustainability. But at the time they were just leaving sustainably. Right. Without thinking about it. Yeah. It was not intentional at all. That was just how people would live in France. I think the more sustainable way, if you think about it.

Kristi Porter (05:25):

That’s fascinating.

Amanda Luton (05:27):

Wow. I love getting to know our guests a little bit before we dive into the business side of the conversation. So Caroline, looking back, I know you kind of touched a bit on it, but maybe a little bit more details. Is there a story or an anecdote from your early years that really shaped who you are? It sounds like sustainability was a, a major part of your upbringing, but something that inspired kind of what you do now that you could share with the audience.

Caroline Troit (05:51):

Yeah. So maybe something completely different than sustainability. Actually, my, um, parents transferred me, uh, when I was 13 year old, uh, from an all girl school that I was in to my brother all boys school. So I was 13 at the time, you know, not, not the easiest age to transfer to a all boys school. And, uh, so I became like one out of seven girls in a school of more than 1000 boys. Wow. And it was like being an alien. And for the anecdote, I remember like the girls’ restroom was on the complete other side of the school. I don’t know what they had in mind when they did that. Oh my God. And we would have, so we would go together, obviously, and we would have to cross the whole playground and the boys would just like, stop, literally stop playing soccer, stop doing anything to just like stare at us. I was like being an animal in a zoo. Wow. Yeah. And that would make

Kristi Porter (06:51):

An impact for sure. <laugh>. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Caroline Troit (06:54):

So I mean though maybe not the best way to, to learn, uh, I think it was like a strong experience and it built a lot of resilience for me because the boys would also, like on top of that, annoy me and tease me as anybody would at such all, and you know, at the time, uh, now I realize it was probably to get my attention, but at the time I took the criticism very seriously. So I built a lot of resilience. I think a lot, I built a lot of gr uh, from that time. And I’m, they’re very, uh, determined when I have something in mind, I don’t give up, I make it happen. And that’s true for my personal life. All my professional life right now, I’ve decided I’m gonna do a marathon extra, a trilon extra, and I didn’t run like three years ago. So, uh, you know, like I, that’s like my strengths, I think. But I have to say, when I talk to my team, I don’t want clones around me. I think, you know, everybody’s got their own strengths that they need to find inside themselves and leverage as medicine as they can. You, for me it’s been great. But for somebody else might be empathy. Might be creativity. And that’s amazing too. You know, I need like that diversity, uh, of skills, uh, in my team.

Kristi Porter (08:05):

Wow. What an experience. So how long were you at the, so did it transition to be a fully girls and boys school or were you still only one of a few the entire time you were there?

Caroline Troit (08:15):

Yeah, so I was there like four years and when I left, you know, we were probably three in my classroom. So, you know, it took time for girls to come to that school. So yeah, pretty much all my, um, education was only with sports and then engineering school, obviously it’s continued <laugh>.

Kristi Porter (08:32):

That sounds like an incredible learning experience. Yeah. Sounds you like. You could have gone in a couple of different directions and it really instilled in you a lot of, a lot of the traits that have helped you be successful over the years. So that’s really exciting. But yeah, what a fascinating experience. I think you could probably write a book on just that <laugh> <laugh> can

Kristi Porter (08:54):

Alluded to your professional journey, who you are, who you have kind of molded yourself to be over the last few years. So let’s talk a little bit about your professional journey. First of all, you’re an engineer, so again, you have all these multi-facets in your background. Engineer graduated from the National School of Mines, and Nancy, I’m gonna say that probably wrong. Okay. <inaudible>, look at me. I’m on par with my French today. So tell us more about at that time, ’cause I don’t hear anything you said so far. Allude to engineering. So how does engineering come into the picture?

Caroline Troit (09:27):

Yes. Uh, like many people, I think pretty, uh, randomly, so to be truthful. So, um, every year at my old boy high school, the best students was selected to go to this great, one of the best engineering prep school in France called Jeanette. So that’s what I did. And at the time, I had no idea what an engineer could do. Uh, but I knew I liked solving problems. I would, I loved math. I, I liked, I would go to bed. I couldn’t find a solution for my problem. I would sleep with my problem. I would wake up at, in the middle of the night or in the morning with the solution. And I like thinking, I think that’s what engineers do. I still do it. I swim every day. And when I go in the pool, I’m in the pool with some ideas, some, some problems. And it keeps me entertained for the hundred laps <laugh>. And then I come out with like, some kind of, uh, OB solution. I, you know, I like this quote from, uh, inch time. It’s not that I’m so smart, I just stay with problems longer. Yeah.

Caroline Troit (10:33):

So anyway, so I get to this engineering prep school, and then I realized it was not gonna be an easy journey at all. The level was very, uh, very high. But on top of that, they had this like, hazing that luckily I became illegal, uh, now. And yeah. So, and, and, uh, I saw the full week. So the Hazers, I don’t know if that makes sense. The Hazers, they would be wearing like middle age costume. They would wake us up in the middle of the night. They would crack the chains, they would yell at us, we would go to out of bed. We, it was a, a board, uh, uh, boarding school. And then they would make us ramp, uh, crawl, like in, uh, muddy trenches. It was that intense at night’s become illegal, actually. So, you know, after that first week, like it was, you know, the purpose of the hazing is to humiliate you.

Caroline Troit (11:25):

And for sure, after that full week, I had, uh, lost, uh, completely my confidence. So this was like a, a tough, uh, a tough time really for me. And I, I struggled. That’s probably the only, I almost gave up. You know, I struggled with burnout, I struggle with anorexia. Uh, and that’s when I, I decided I would start swimming every day. And now that really resurrected me and put me back in the game. And since then, I really learned a great lesson from that. ’cause since then, I, I swim every day. It’s like a religion, which keeps me out of stress. Mm-hmm. Assist balance and centered, which is so super important in operation. We get through so many things that, that, uh, balance is really, really quite critical. So after that, my engineering studies were really great. They opened so many doors for me. I got to do my internships in Italy and in Japan and engineering. So Italy was like oil type company. And then in Japan I worked for Toshiba. Oh, wow. In Japanese company. Yeah. I was really interesting. Cultural.

Kristi Porter (12:32):

Okay. So you also have had the distinct ability to live within all of these different cultures. So what were some of the takeaways from that? What did you learn from that?

Caroline Troit (12:44):

Um, I mean, first I, I find it fa fascinating to work in a different country. I always say that it’s like being on, uh, on vacation all the time. Because, you know, it’s like when you’re on vacation, you’re like, oh, this Yes, amazing. You know, to be able to do it while you work, I just think makes like so much more interesting. Uh, and Japan on top of it, I don’t think there’s one country that’s more different than the Western world. You know, the way, the way they work, the way, you know, it’s like completely different. Their discipline, the cleanliness everywhere in the train, that’s just a amazing expense. No, a tough one. It’s not also a, a country that is very, uh, easy to live in, especially with zero Revenue. An intern, I remember it right. And Egg and Soya every night, <laugh>. Oh wow. <laugh> <laugh>.

Kristi Porter (13:34):

That is in itself a learning experience for sure. So how long were you in the engineering field?

Caroline Troit (13:41):

Uh, so then I, so that was just my internship. So, um, then when I started to look for a job, I had to choose between two great opportunities. One was working for Shell in Italy, and the other one, one <inaudible>. I really decided on L’Oreal because of the values of the company. I remember at the time the plant manager was like, super brilliant, took me around the plants and he talked to me like if I was his daughter. And it was so super general, I could feel the people first mindset from day one in L’Oreal. And that really sold me to it. So it’s actually my career in L’Oreal and I’m a probably a L’Oreal baby, as they call it. Yes. <laugh>.

Amanda Luton (14:26):

So you kind of alluded to the experience in the plant, uh, with your plant managers. And then in the early two thousands, you started your journey as supply chain manager in Maybelline factory. Right. Could you tell us about your first kind of exposure, your first impressions in the, the logistics industry?

Caroline Troit (14:43):

Yes. So straightaway I loved, loved, loved my job. I loved supply chain at L’Oreal. The plant I was working for, it was like the European and maybe leaf plants. It was really a well oiled machine. Were like really under control. And it was fascinating to like be at the, at the center, you know, like patch and be connected with everybody. The, the affiliates, the business, the plans, like all the different departments. And it was fascinating also to see the life of the product from ideation to discontinuation. So I really, I really love that. I love that I could have an impact straight away. I could feel I could have an impact on service and cost and inventory. I could even have an impact beyond my direct scope of responsibility. As an example. I, it didn’t make sense to me that they had like so many, like so many.

Caroline Troit (15:37):

And as a consumer, I couldn’t make the difference between two products, you know? And I was just a young engineer. I’m like, why do you have those two products just the same? So I built a whole, uh, report and analysis and I shared with my management and, and I loved it. And, you know, I was able to influence our business to rationalize the catalog. And after a few years, we reduced the catalog from 10,000 SKUs to 2000 sku, which was wow. Very satisfying for me to be able to have that impact on the organization. The other thing that I really liked is people management, because I was quickly given the opportunity to lead people. When I was 25. I had team months, 20 people. When I was 27, I had a team of 40 people. And when I was 29, I think I was running the whole production unit.

Caroline Troit (16:25):

And I don’t think all field or companies allow for that. Yeah. And um, and certainly, you know, like the science of people is not as easy, I would say the science of, uh, supply chain. So I made a lot of mistake. Uh, but I learned, uh, big time was, was such an incredible opportunity for me, uh, to learn, you know? And, uh, I quickly learned my development area. I was very resilient, quite tough, of course, like with these, uh, engineering studies. But I liked empathy, I liked sensitivity. Had to on this emotional intelligence, and I’m still working on it. Exactly.

Kristi Porter (17:00):

Well, as a consumer, let me thank you for reducing 10,000 SKUs to 2000 SKUs, because I probably would be overwhelmed in the store, otherwise, <laugh> as well. Paralysis. Yeah. Walking

Caroline Troit (17:14):

Down <laugh>.

Kristi Porter (17:15):

I know if somebody inside the company can’t tell the difference between the different products, then those outside are gonna have a really difficult time. So thank you for your early work <laugh>.

Caroline Troit (17:25):

Um,

Kristi Porter (17:25):

Well, I mean, everybody’s heard of L’Oreal. It is the world’s largest cosmetics company. 36 global brands, four divisions over 100 years of history. So few people make it that far, few companies. So congratulations on that. So I, I love some of the, of course, especially here in the US and I imagine in other places around the world, we’re familiar with the commercials, but I love some of the things that you’ve touched on that drew you to the company that maybe we don’t see commercials about. Just the people first culture and what drew you in. So I’d love for you to talk a little more maybe about some of the L’Oreal that we don’t see that happens behind the scenes that makes it a wonderful place for you. Clearly. ’cause you’ve stayed there for so long.

Caroline Troit (18:08):

Yeah, yeah. I mean, first, like, it’s a big company, people don’t realize, because sometimes people think about the brand of L’Oreal, but it’s actually a $40 billion, uh, SaaS companies, I would like to say, like a large portfolio of brands. I will not be able to quote them all <laugh>. And, and they are in four different division that operates in different, uh, distribution channels. We very, we have a worldwide presence and like emerging markets are very important to us. And it’s great because we can balance the exam flows of the market. And that’s really a power of, of L’Oreal our purpose, otherwise is to create beauty that moves the world. And that says it all. And it’s a company that really puts a lot of emphasis on people, on ethics, on sustainability. And I can tell, you know, 24 years I’ve been in this company, and you can really see it like everywhere, everywhere you go. Yeah. So that’s a little bit better.

Kristi Porter (19:09):

And so tell us a little bit more about, so right now you’re in the lux division. Tell us a little bit about what that means and your specific role there.

Caroline Troit (19:18):

Yes. So, so basically, um, I’m in charge of the operations, uh, for North America, uh, luxury division, uh, which means run the operations end-to-end for $3 million. Sales business, luxury division includes like all those amazing brands, Lanco, Mai, <inaudible>, K like our big brands, and then lots of other brands like <inaudible>, it, cosmetics, some small acquisition. You see the people, all the fragrances, the Valentinos, the Ralph, Lauren. Um, and we just acquired, uh, ASAP as well, which is gonna be really exciting for the division. Uh, so my scope in operation is like literally all the functions of operations from manufacturing, sourcing, procurement, all the functions of supply chain, the development team, new product development, uh, the packaging, all these functions of operation. And, and of course my primary job, uh, with that, uh, large scope is to inspire and engage, uh, the 800 people or so that reporting to my team, which means on a day-to-day basis, keeping things stable and encouraging people to, to give their best. Um, that’s,

Kristi Porter (20:31):

You do a couple of things then <laugh>,

Caroline Troit (20:33):

Just a few

Kristi Porter (20:34):

You not a part-time job. Yeah. <laugh>.

Caroline Troit (20:37):

I like to say, you know, like one third of my job is people. Yeah. Uh, one third is execution because you have to be grounded. You have to like fly high, fly low. I want to stay, you know, in touch with what’s going on day-to-day basis. One third execution and one third innovation and transformation. Hmm.

Amanda Luton (20:57):

I gotta write that down. I love that. <laugh>. One-third people, one-third execution, one-third innovation. Uh, I love that. Yes. Um, so in your years with L’Oreal, it sounds like you’ve managed hundreds if not thousands of people. We’d love to hear some of the accomplishments of your company or of your teams that you’re most proud of.

Caroline Troit (21:18):

Yeah. First I’m gonna give a lot of credit to our operation and supply chain team in general. At Rare, the Ryan is a very creative company and our executive team, as they should, they are hyperfocused on innovation, brand products, marketings, and then really rely a lot operation and supply sentiments who run the business, which is great. And I really think about our teams as the one that keeps things structured and organized and make the magic happen and land the plane, you know, don’t like, keep thinking and having so many ideas just land the plane sometimes. So, um, so that’s, that’s really, uh, one thing I would say. And then I also think it was really, uh, impressive. Of course during Covid with all the disruptions we had down, down again, like to for, to see how they could, uh, manage, uh, you know, all the challenges.

Caroline Troit (22:15):

Sometimes we had issues with like tier, like T three supplier issues. It was like we were missing the glue on the rule of labels of the stickers. My God. Like how do we think about that? You know? So our life is, is, uh, full of challenges. And while they do that, we were still like doing the transformation, you know, all the, those programs, those project that we have continued to, uh, to run. Um, so that’s, I give them a lot of credit. Other than that, we have tons of metrics and KPIs. I don’t think you want to hear about that <laugh>. That’d be like, so I’m gonna save you that for a minute. No, I think what really get things done is culture ultimately, and my team and I, we’ve been very focused on driving culture, culture of sustainability, culture of agility, culture of people, <inaudible>, though it’s really embedded already our culture digitalization.

Caroline Troit (23:06):

So, and that’s about like first hiring the right people. And that’s like number one job getting the right people in the bus. And we are in a competitive market in the US and so I always say it’s like a dating game to, uh, get the right people. And then when you got them, you got to treat them like your family. You got to take care of them, you got to respect them to support them and, and to challenge them too. You know, got to push repeat more. Like they can achieve things that they would never, they would never even think they could achieve. Now that’s also part of the philosophy. It’s about reaching the, giving them the context, keeping them the frame, keeping things simple, prioritizing. So that’s, that’s really what I, what we’ve been focused on.

Kristi Porter (23:51):

I love that. I wanna touch on something you said because, uh, you, no matter if you’re a 10 person business or a, you know, global business like L’Oreal, you touched on hiring and that is such a struggle for so many people, especially right now. And I feel like every time we ask this question, we say, especially right now, because it never seems to get any <laugh> easier or better, but I loved what you said about hiring the right people and then nurturing them as family when they come in. So talk to me a little bit about your hiring. What does that look like to you? How does that happen? What are kind of maybe either some of the indicators that you look for and hire for, or the process that you use, but I’d be so curious about that because it’s something so many businesses struggle with.

Caroline Troit (24:36):

Yeah. Um, I mean, first I put a lot of emphasis on succession planning in general because it’s hiring, but it’s also a hiring internally of course in a, in a company like Lorianne. So, um, we have a whole structure of succession planning and I always give as a K P I, the number of powers we spent on succession planning. So we do it, we do that together. We do it by function. We do it in so many ways, uh, just to make sure we anticipate the needs and we think about the option and not give us the time to get the right options. And then, and then in terms of hiring, I think it’s also about the network with, uh, around you and leveraging that network and leveraging other people’s network and network just not compromising to, it’s like what are those best resource that we know they’re the best because we’ve somehow been connected with them in the past. Maybe their, somebody’s worked with them. It’s, it’s again, a bad how much time and effort to put into it just to get people and then like treating them. Right? I mean, I always quote that experience of mine with my plant manager. Honestly, if it wasn’t for him taking me around the plant, the plant and talking to me like his daughter, I would not be in Lian today. I loved Italy. Like I would be not Italy <laugh>.

Kristi Porter (25:55):

Fascinating. Thank you for that. Yeah, I, that is really, I love the K P I for succession planning. I have never heard really. I

Caroline Troit (26:03):

Have never heard that. Yeah. That’s fantastic.

Kristi Porter (26:05):

Okay. And then I also wanted to ask you about, you mentioned before just leadership, another, I feel like something people struggle with all the time. I’m curious that what you’ve learned, uh, you said you’ve made some mistakes. We all have and you’ve learned a lot of along the way. So tell us about some of your lessons learned as a leader.

Caroline Troit (26:26):

Huh? Yeah, I mean, you learn from your mistakes. Definitely. I remember that mistake on like early, uh, management that I was so, uh, direct and was a senior employee and I actually offended her and I could see she was offended. And that really stayed with me and stuck with me. And, you know, I still, I still haven’t completely repaired it. I wrote her a letter, whatever it really like impacted me. And I’ve learned from that, that example that, you know, whatever, whatever the situation, whatever the challenge, you can always do it in the right way and in a nice way and you don’t have to help people.

Kristi Porter (27:06):

Mm-hmm. For sure.

Amanda Luton (27:09):

That can be really difficult too. <laugh>, I know in leadership positions it can be, it can be challenging to speak to people, to get through to people without personally offending people. But you, I do think that there’s a fine line that you can walk. There’s a good balance you could find there. Mm-hmm.

Caroline Troit (27:25):

<affirmative>. Yeah.

Kristi Porter (27:26):

So also tell us, you’ve mentioned Covid, clearly that’s an underlying issue for everybody. So tell us about <laugh>, as you mentioned, never would’ve thought of running out of the adhesive for the label that goes on a product that is not top of mind for me. So I’m curious about some of the other challenges that you’ve had during Covid, maybe not that technical, but how your team kind of rallied around that, what the problem solving looked like.

Caroline Troit (27:53):

Yeah, I, I mean, I think it was about being very focused because there were definitely like different phases. Yeah. You know, first we had to somehow keep the distribution centers and the manufacturing sites open and that was a priority. And just that in itself took a lot of energy and that’s where we focus then. I mean, there were like so many different phases, but if I like fast track a little bit, then we suddenly, you know, ran out of like those components and raw material because of the, you know, Asia, all the footprint we had. So we had to pull our best resources to, you know, have, find creative solutions to, uh, solve those challenges and then try to anticipate as soon as we saw the signals, right, you could see the signal that the transportation lead times we’re gonna increase. Okay, well then let’s take actions to try to have release disruptions because of that. So that was then like this phase of like super focused on service. And then we had like a shift in business, like a volatility. That’s unbelievable. We had something like this boom in the fragrance category. I don’t think anybody would have expected especi

Kristi Porter (29:09):

People at home. I guess they were,

Caroline Troit (29:13):

I still don’t quite understand. Of course, there’s been ton of reports and then I’m still like, really?

Kristi Porter (29:18):

I’m like

Amanda Luton (29:19):

Wearing less makeup but wearing I more perfume, more perfume

Kristi Porter (29:23):

<laugh>. Yeah.

Caroline Troit (29:25):

Yeah. No, it was really, it’s been really big like in, in the us so we had to respond to that. I mean, the volatility’s been unbelievable. So, uh, our agility and good thing we were working on that like many years before. Otherwise we are have been completely stuck. But we always, I mean, a agility is really the name of the game for us. We need to make sure we have always spare capacity. We need to make sure we always focus on our lead times and try to reduce them as much as we possibly can. <crosstalk>.

Amanda Luton (29:54):

Well, Christy, I know just from the conversation so far, like what an impressive career. What an impressive woman, Caroline. I’m really, this has been a, a great conversation so far, but kind of to change directions with over 15 years at L’Oreal. How do you feel like the supply chain has evolved specifically in the cosmetics industry, just in your time with L’Oreal?

Caroline Troit (30:17):

Yeah, I think it’s evolved massively. I think supply chains become more and more central in the company with, you know, the growth of e-commerce with Obtainability, with the disruption from Covid. We’ve earned a bigger seat at the table and we’ve organized, uh, ourself in a way that we are hyperconnected with the business and we really solve our challenges together. It’s almost like this symbiotic relationship, the way I would describe it. And together we can set the future and the strategy together. It’s really also, uh, so critical and so much at the center of anything in, in Morre. The other thing I would say is we live in a, a very data driven world, which, you know, year after year then I’ve been in supply chain in Maria, I could see more, you know, and supply chain’s brought a lot to the business in terms of leveraging that data.

Caroline Troit (31:12):

And now I also think with the amount of data we have in supply chain, this new chapter of AI is like, so super exciting. I think, uh, we, we are gonna be able to, you know, add more value to the business and reduce some of the low added, uh, tests. So I’m really, uh, excited for that. And also think to that extent, the skills of our teams in supply chain are becoming more and more marketable. I think I can see how other functions could benefit from it, and I can see more transfers happening from supply chain to, um, the rest of the business. And equally I can see more, uh, people being attracted by supply chain. I think it’s becoming a, a really a more exciting and attractive function. It’s so like transverse, it’s got so much complexity, you can have an impact. I don’t think there’s been a a time where supply chain, having a current supply chain is more exciting and like sex in a way. <laugh>.

Amanda Luton (32:10):

Yeah. Well, and I think too, before Covid, people didn’t understand what supply chain was. Just like Christie said a minute ago, who, who would’ve ever thought that running out of an adhesive was gonna slow down the, getting the cosmetics to the Kroger shelf or whatever. But once people start realizing all the different ways you can work and the different jobs and different skill sets that you can, that you can utilize within supply chain, it’s really exciting. And it’s very interesting. So much more interesting than if you just think of manufacturing, distribution, transportation, I think that’s probably where a lot of people’s minds go right away. But when you start thinking about marketing and product design and the logistics behind everything, and like you said, Caroline, the really data-driven aspects of supply chain, there’s almost room for any and everybody, you know, in all different types of backgrounds and education and skillsets.

Caroline Troit (33:05):

Yeah. And the complexity, I think, you know, it would like excite and interest any good brain <laugh>. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

Amanda Luton (33:12):

Creative brains, really analytical brains, really. Lots of different types of people I think are, are very well suited for supply chain. Yeah,

Kristi Porter (33:20):

That’s an excellent point. And also I can also just hear you like your leadership and you’re thinking out for your, you know, you’re looking out for your team and seeing how their skills are gonna grow. And it speaks to that succession planning as well. So that says a lot about you,

Caroline Troit (33:35):

But I wrote this book about how there’s not so many CEOs that come from supply chain, but now we can see a trend. And I think it’s really a super interesting, I can, I can see it happening.

Kristi Porter (33:46):

Yes,

Kristi Porter (33:48):

Absolutely. Yeah. No, that’s fascinating. That’s an excellent point. So L’Oreal well-known for the slogan because you’re worth it. So we talked about supply chain, we talked a little bit about the value chain before, but I’m curious for you, what is the value that you think logistics plays in the end to consumer satisfaction? We, you know, we talked a little about, in some instances it feels like the world is shrinking in some ways it’s getting more complicated. And even just to kind of what you were just mentioning as well as the motto for the company about bringing beauty into the world and things. So I’m curious for you and what you’ve seen, how do you think logistics plays an, uh, a part in that end? Customer satisfaction? Yeah,

Caroline Troit (34:31):

I mean, I think, uh, logistic is all about, uh, consumer satisfaction. Because if you think about it, it’s about delivering the right product with the right quality and the right cost, the right service and all of that is supply chain. Now, I think also now the dimensions of the experience also counting more. And that’s about how easy it is to find a product. Mm-hmm. How it’s been delivered to your home, how sustainably it’s been made. So all those things. It’s own supply chain. We do so much <laugh>, actually everything

Kristi Porter (35:06):

Supply chain. Yeah.

Caroline Troit (35:07):

Everything’s supply chain. And so, um, and we, so, you know, then we have to make sure in operation we stay connected to that consumer value of course. So I’m, in some ways to do it is obviously we use the ratings of the products we need. We develop new products. So super important for the development team, the packaging team, they constantly look at the, the ratings to improve at each renovation, uh, value. We use n p s scores on our eCommerce to understand their customer satisfaction. I really love, there’s a new measurement that we’ve introduced. It’s called p i n and it’s product in ingredient labeling. And you can find it on TE’s website and it tells you how sustainably the product is, including like all dimensions, how it’s been made, how it’s been transported, like all of that. And so you, you scan your product with the data metrics and you go on the website and you will see, uh, that measurement.

Caroline Troit (36:02):

I think that’s super interesting. And it will even probably educate the customers and help them make the right, uh, decisions. And then, you know, in terms of like our frame, ’cause we do like those frames to help us like focus our energy. It’s really about how we maximize that consumer value when we decide our priorities and, uh, the way we work. We don’t like ize one or the other. And I think that’s super important. I think we first, there’s like enough project we can do that we can really prioritize the one that deliver all dimensions. And we, we will try to prioritize those project that, you know, we’ll move the lid on everything, the sustainability cost, the agility, uh, all of that together.

Caroline Troit (36:48):

Yeah. I a hundred percent agree.

Amanda Luton (36:50):

Going back to sustainability again, seems to be a major theme for this <laugh> conversation and for your life. Yeah. Right. It’s becoming more and more important to the consumers and L’Oreal is known for having, uh, extensive sustainability commitments. So Lene, please tell us more about them and how you’ve, uh, achieved an ACE score in all three c D p rankings receiving this distinction seven years in a row. We would love to know a little bit more about that.

Caroline Troit (37:17):

Yeah, yeah. So I mean, L’Oreal embarked in that sustainability journey. First, like long time ago. It’s like over 10 years ago it was first, but now we’ve accelerated that journey with the launch of our program for the future. And it’s like a very precise roadmap to 2030 to achieve some reduction of our greenhouse gas emission per finished good unit. And, and also it includes like the transportation element where we will also reduce by 50% our c o two emission. It’s a problem that was, uh, developed with scientific experts. It’s really based on a boundary approach. It’s not based on like commercial goal. It’s really very profoundly in the science. And I think another way the company’s really removed the needle on sustainability and created really a culture of sustainability because you can feel it in the company. Everybody’s like passionate and everybody’s like contributing to some extent to the topic.

Caroline Troit (38:22):

So it’s, it’s really the, the culture that they’ve created. And when I think about it, there’s a few powerful things that I think the company’s done. One is like defining some super precise and public goals available packaging with like one area that, uh, I see I’m accountable at four. We have some really ambitious goal of redo making sure, like first making sure that, uh, a hundred percent of our plastic will be from recycled all bio source space right to Twin 30. And also making sure that all our plastic will be either recyclable, combustible, refillable, or reusable by 2030. These are very, uh, difficult, uh, goals to achieve. And those goals, that’s part of our, your end review is part of our incentive program. Every team that we have with talk sustainability, we have specific sections. Uh, the other thing that I, I find interesting is we really empowered all our team to, uh, contribute by educating them.

Caroline Troit (39:21):

And we all had to take, uh, very intense e-learnings, like hours and hours and take tests at the end, which, you know, even for an engineer, it was not easy. Those tests were not easy and everybody had to do it. But I think that was super powerful to, for everyone to learn about the, the topic. We also have sustainability leads in every function region division. And that’s important because no matter what the topic is complex. So, uh, having those experts around to help develop this roadmap, these roadmaps is, is really, um, really helpful. And then lastly I would say is you can do it on your own. We can do it on our own. And the partnership with our ecosystem, our suppliers, our retailers is very important too. So we do what we call spread the green vibes event, uh, with those partners to i d a to develop point maps together. And that’s super important to all our, I IQs with vendors always include the sustainability that I mentioned. And that’s always something we look at same level as like the cause literally.

Amanda Luton (40:33):

And there’s also, there’s many other corporate responsibility initiatives that L’Oreal has undertaken, such as with the Ukraine war diversity, which you spoke to a little bit earlier, empowering women scientists, youth programs and more. So tell us about a couple of your favorites.

Caroline Troit (40:51):

Yeah, I mean, I’d say at the, and me, I don’t know them all because every brand has one and it’s, it’s great because they’re always connected to the brand culture, but also like it’s relevant for operation. Uh, so all our sites, they have some kind of corporate, uh, social responsibility program. Uh, so I, I can give you those examples. For example, in my, um, distribution center, in our distribution center in South Brunswick, we have a program where, uh, adults with autism, autism work in the assembly department. Mm-hmm. The manufacturing sites in Piscataway, we have a program to educate our operatives to become mechanics if they are willing to, and of course that’s all free resources for them. So I think these are great programs. And then if I’m gonna quote one that I think you guys will like is it’s cosmetics. They have this program about women confidence at work.

Caroline Troit (41:48):

And it really resonates with me because obviously with my team, I, I do a lot of coaching and it’s something that I’ve noticed that women don’t, don’t have, some women don’t have as much confidence and they would tell me, oh no, I’m not ready for the next step. I can’t do it. And like, very talented women obviously, and I don’t have the skills, it’s gonna be too much work. And I think it’s, uh, slows them down versus some of the male peers. Uh, and actually they, they’ve proven that 57% of women think they would have advanced their career more if they had more confidence. So I think that’s super interesting initiative. And this program provides free resources to help solve that women at work confidence crisis.

Kristi Porter (42:35):

Wow, that’s really interesting. And a crazy statistic. <laugh>,

Amanda Luton (42:40):

It’s, I I think it’s fantastic. ’cause I think sometimes that’s all women need is a little, I mean more than a pat on the back, but somebody to say, you’re smart, you are capable, you can do this, let’s do this together. Or here’s how we can help. Or some sort of assistance or guidance. Like it’s absolutely vital, I think. Mm-hmm.

Kristi Porter (42:59):

<affirmative>. And it makes, it’s interesting to see, uh, and exciting to see the investment in a soft skill like that as well. Like clearly training and job training and hard skills and things like that makes so much sense, especially for advancement and things. But, uh, it’s also another one that I don’t hear many people talking about is just investing in soft skills like that, like confidence. So big kudos to L’Oreal for that. That’s a terrific initiative. Before we let you go, I have a couple final questions. And of course I cannot let you escape without asking, what are a couple of your favorite products, <laugh>, because I’m gonna head out to the store this weekend. <laugh>.

Caroline Troit (43:36):

Okay. Really. Alright. So my favorite product, here we go. I love the eyeshadows. It’s called the Metallic Glitters. I love my glit. I love it. It’s like, I dunno if you could see them. But anyway, metallic glitters from, uh, urban Decay. They’re super fun and not everybody wear them, so I get a lot of compliments with them. So my friends love them and I love s I love many products from s Yeah. Um, uh, but I used the clearly corrective dark spot every day. Okay. Like that. Okay. That’s

Amanda Luton (44:08):

<laugh>. I have to share. I have a loreal connection because when I was in college, I worked for all four years in college. I worked full-time and went to school full-time, but I worked at the Lancombe counter at or von store, <laugh> Nice. In Lincoln, Nebraska. Yes. So shout out to Von Maher and Lincoln. Um, but I loved working at the makeup counter in the store. Lancome was really exciting, exciting. And I have a total love for skincare and makeup. I always did, but working there especially. But it was so much fun and I love still visiting Makeup

Caroline Troit (44:40):

<laugh>,

Amanda Luton (44:41):

But it was really exciting and I didn’t even make the connection that Lancome was owned by L’Oreal. I mean, I, I knew it from way back, but didn’t make the connection again until you had said that earlier. So how about that, <laugh>

Kristi Porter (44:56):

And possibly the only time the Lancombe counter at Von Mar in Lincoln, Nebraska will ever get a shout out. So that’s

Amanda Luton (45:03):

Very true. Yeah, that’s the first, that’s the first

Kristi Porter (45:06):

That is amazing.

Caroline Troit (45:08):

I’m going to Nebraska soon,

Amanda Luton (45:09):

By the way. I’m gonna, them, she’ll have to stop by

Caroline Troit (45:13):

Nebraska in two weeks. Yeah.

Kristi Porter (45:15):

Awesome. Ask if they know Amanda <laugh>,

Amanda Luton (45:17):

Right? Yeah. How could they forget me?

Kristi Porter (45:20):

<laugh> 20 years ago, <laugh>. And then my my final question of, of for you is when we ask a lot of people here, um, and we’ve certainly touched on aspects of this as well, but what does the phrase logistics with purpose mean to you?

Caroline Troit (45:36):

Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s such a nice one. I don’t know who, uh, coin it, but yeah, I mean like our purpose in Orient is to create the beauty that moves the world. And I think it really applies to logistics in many way. Our purpose is to create the best products, best quality, <inaudible>, best cost, et cetera, that will boost, uh, confidence. Again, talk about confidence for men and women, uh, around the world. And when I think about it, it’s kind of sounds a little al fatal for the Western world where we have like excess amount of beauty products around us, but it’s not everywhere in the world world. And I think one of the purpose of L’Oreal is certainly to democratize beauty and touch every consumer, every consumer, consumer, a woman in the world that can benefit. But I also think about it as our wellbeing and making a difference for our employees and their ities. Making them part of the story, making them valued, making them recognize, um, suppliers we, we work with. And finally, and that’s maybe, and on that sustainability note again is how we act to protect the planet, to find the climate change and preserve na, nature and the beauty, diversity, the biodiversity around us.

Kristi Porter (47:00):

I love that. Thank you so much.

Amanda Luton (47:03):

So as we wrap today, Caroline, how can our listeners connect with you and of course, learn more about everything, all the exciting initiatives that you’re doing at L’Oreal.

Caroline Troit (47:14):

It’s a great way. Um, so we can connect with the Arlington and make sure I read them. I send a message.

Kristi Porter (47:21):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yes. And so what is one thing are everyone should go look up on your website that, how did they get to the carbon thing? Like how to tell their where the, the supply chain and their sustainability and their supply chain for the product. Oh,

Caroline Troit (47:35):

It’s very visible. If you go on the L’Oreal website, you’ll go straight, straight into that. Easily for the future. Lots of you and data to share. It’s very

Kristi Porter (47:45):

Fantastic. Thank you so much for your time. This was so fun, so great. You have such a breadth of experience to share with us. And just even, I just love hearing you talk about your team and getting excited about that. And, um, as well as your, you know, previous boss and your background just so much. And I think you bring a really interesting aspect of supply chain as well and how to look at that from all aspects. And even just as you said, it’s tying the world together and exciting to see kind of the future of that. So thank you for all that you’re innovating and executing and whatever that other third is. I forgot already, but it’s amazing.

Caroline Troit (48:21):

Innovating, executing, and people are

Kristi Porter (48:24):

People. That’s

Caroline Troit (48:25):

People <laugh>

Kristi Porter (48:26):

Course people. I love that. I’m gonna take that with me. Thank you so much for your time. This was so much fun. Amanda. I hope this isn’t, this is the first, hopefully not the last time that we get to do this together. But Caroline, it was a blast. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate you and all you’re doing. Thank

Caroline Troit (48:41):

You, Christie. Thank you Amanda. It was a pleasure to be with you with uh, it was fun. It was fun. I like doing that. That’s my first podcast. But

Kristi Porter (48:49):

You did great.