VP, Head of Harry's Labs Is Eager for a Dynamic Post-Pandemic Behavior

Passionate about brand storytelling and founder-led brands, it's no surprise Tehmina Haider took on the role of vice president and head of Harry's Labs at Harry's, Inc. And as the vaccination rates increase, it will be an exciting time to see the work brands release as consumers begin going out once more. Tune in to our chat with Tehmina to learn why curiosity and empathy are crucial for entrepreneurs, how online consumption has jumped nine years in innovation and why should not settle for a job you don’t genuinely enjoy. ADWEEK: How did you get to where you are today? Any noteworthy aha-moments along the way?I’ve always been fascinated by brands and consumers. I realized I could turn my weekend passion for product sampling and trendspotting into a way to make a living. And so I’ve gravitated at every step of my career towards companies like Estee Lauder, consumer growth investor LCatterton and now Harry’s that believe deeply in the power of brands and storytelling. When I started talking to Jeff Raider (Harry’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO & Warby Parker Co-Founder) and Andy Katz-Mayfield (Harry’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO) about the idea of Harry’s Labs back in 2018, it was clear they were thinking about building, buying and scaling brands in a truly unique way. Joining Labs was an opportunity to leverage my experiences as an investor and brand builder to scale brands by marrying the authenticity and agility of fast-growing, founder-led brands, with modern, proven go-to-market and scaling expertise. What's the most innovative thing you're currently working on?Over the past few years, Harry’s Labs has focused on building and launching new brands including Flamingo, Cat Person, Headquarters. Now, on the back of a $155M funding round, Harry’s Labs is shifting focus to acquisitions to help achieve our vision of creating a family of disruptive omnichannel CPG brands. When developing an M&A strategy for Harry’s, Inc., our goal was to create something that would offer a new way for founders to lead and grow their businesses post-acquisition. We pushed ourselves to think “founder-first” and have developed an approach that balances giving founders agency over their brands while also sharing operational expertise and talent in areas such as direct-to-consumer marketing, brand building and design, eCommerce distribution and logistics, and disruptive retail storytelling. Like any new approach, it has taken some iteration to get right, but I’m super excited about what we have developed. It’s a truly innovative way to rapidly build a portfolio of CPG brands that solve real unmet consumer needs. Harry's Expands Growing Empire with the Launch of Haircare Line What new or up-and-coming innovation(s) are you most excited about and how do you think it will change the future of marketing? While not an innovation, the near-universal, almost overnight shift in how and where consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products caused by the pandemic has had a seismic impact on the consumer industry. Online consumption increased in one year to levels previously predicted to take ten years! Now, as vaccination rates increase, consumers will again have an opportunity to consume media and shop in any and all channels. I’m eager to see what they decide to do and how brands adjust media placement and shopping experiences across key channels such as owned eCommerce, Amazon and brick and mortar as a result. At Harry’s, we have been an omnichannel business for over five years with a continuous focus on infusing consumer delight across all channels. I look forward to continuing this journey with our broader portfolio of brands in what will be a highly dynamic environment! What’s one piece of work from your career that you’re the proudest of? In January, Harry’s Labs launched Headquarters. Headquarters is a women's haircare brand that brings a wellness-first approach to haircare, an industry long focused on surface-level fixes instead of the foundations of hair health—the root and scalp. There is nothing quite like seeing a brand on a shelf that was just months before (amid a pandemic!) an idea on a page. I’m so proud of the entire team at Labs and Harry’s, Inc. that made it all happen, and it has been so rewarding to learn of the awesome experiences consumers are having using the brand's products. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Headquarters (@yourheadquarters) Was there ever a time where you questioned your career path? How did you handle that? I’ve had moments over the years when I’ve questioned my job, role and even career. Sometimes those moments have led to big change, sometimes they have made me recommit to a role. After Harvard Business School, I knew high growth consumer investing was the right next step for me, but without a background in finance, I struggled to get hired and graduated without a job. Persistence finally paid off when a Boston firm agreed to take a chance on me, and that experience began the path to my role today. It also taught me not to take no for an answer when it comes to pursuing your passions—taking risks is part of the journey to achieving them. What is one skill that you think is currently underdeveloped in Marketing?Translating consumer insights into marketing inspiration. Consumer insights and feedback are the most critical inputs we have as marketers. We’re constantly listening as we seek to create things that our consumers will like more. The magic of marketing lies in weaving together disparate insights into inspiration for brands and products that consumers love (even if they might never have asked for them directly!). Hear Tehmina Haider at Adweek's Elevate: Future of Shopping | July 7-8, 2021 How do you pick and develop the talent on your team? We meet entrepreneurs almost daily who are building businesses of all sizes that address a variety of consumer needs. Our job is to support founders and brands as they grow. I seek team members that approach their roles with curiosity and empathy for the challenges that come along with the entrepreneurial journey. These characteristics serve as the foundation for successful partnerships with founders and entrepreneurs. What's a way that you predict marketing will change as more people begin traveling/going out again? There will be continuous shifts as people slowly begin traveling, and once again redefining their lives. The pandemic unearthed new values, behaviors and unmet consumer needs. A year from now, consumers will again have changed and grown into new versions of themselves. Very tactically, traditional types of marketing such as out-of-home and in-store will likely come back into play and brands will need to build more holistic marketing campaigns if they want to efficiently win consumer attention. More importantly, consumer values and preferences are likely to once again drive shifts in spending habits. Staying close to consumers to ensure brands and products speak to them as they evolve post quarantine will be critical to success. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?Don’t settle for a job you don’t genuinely enjoy. You can be good at a lot of things, but only great at things you’re passionate about. Look at your weekly calendar—are you looking forward to 80%-90% of what’s on it? If the answer is consistently no, you’re probably not in the right role. Find one that you wake up excited to do. What one question would you ask the marketing community and why?What makes a consumer love versus like your brand/product? How do you double down on delivering an experience that drives consumer love?

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How VP, Head of Harry's Labs Is 'Eager' for Dynamic Post-Pandemic Consumer Behavior

Tehmina Haider chats about a 'founder-first' mentality and two crucial skills for entrepreneurs

Julian Gamboa

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