Falling in Love with a Diverse Culture

Picture this – it’s 2018 in Shanghai at the COTY & SEPHORA National Fragrance Masters Finals. They’re announcing the winners, and the moment I heard my name…I could hardly believe it! After receiving the award, my WeChat went crazy with all the congratulatory messages from my colleagues and bosses. Everything still feels like a dream. Only a few years ago, I was studying mechanical engineering at university – my life was quite simple and ordinary. After graduating, I moved to Chengdu and joined Sephora’s IFS International Finance Square store – beauty was my true calling. I quickly fell in love with the transparent and empowered culture here. Sephora firmly believes that true beauty lies in your true self. It’s an organization that celebrates diversity and has created many platforms where employees can unleash their true potentials. I’m passionate about perfume. As soon as I heard about the perfumer contest, I immediately signed up. The experience was interesting and I got to understand more about perfume. The competition was fierce – which made me really motivated to win! At the end, I walked away with the runner-up position and many great memories.

Diverse Individuals, Collected Team

At Sephora we get to meet different customers every day. We carry a wide range of products, attracting customers of different profiles: men and women, young and old, and from all walks of life. Once, I met a sweet grandma who needed some help finding the right lotion. To be honest, we don’t see that many customer of that age profile, but I truly believe that their desire to feel beautiful is so precious. I hope that more people will enjoy feeling beautiful, regardless of their age, gender or any other demographic factor. Happiness can come from feeling beautiful – and seeing our customers experience this always brings joy to me, from the bottom of my heart! A diverse customer group requires a diverse service team and the backgrounds of our teammates vary widely. We have people who were kindergarten teachers and some who’ve worked in healthcare. Having a diverse team also promotes diversity in thinking. Everybody is able to bring to the table different ideas and perspectives and I think this is very important for innovation. “Dare to Think, Dare to Speak, and Dare to Do” is what Sephora encourages.

I Arrived Alone, Now I Journey with Many!

As I enter my 3rd year with Sephora, I was assigned to Xi’an. For a “family man” like me who loves home, it was frankly quite hard to adjust to a new environment. But I received great support from my colleagues and bosses to help me settle in. Before I knew it, I was mingling with everyone – discovering the ancient terracotta warriors and horses; getting to see the Bell and Drum Towers of Xi’an. Such is the bond of friendship! Yet, it was only after my experience in Xi’an that I truly realized: no matter where, no matter when, and even when I’m far away from home: I can still always find a sense of belonging and a sense of home. As I reflect upon my thoughts, I realize that this is not only due to the friendliness and gentleness of the Sephora family, but also due to the spirit of collaboration and the win-win mentality we always emphasize. We all deeply understand the importance of collaboration: Not just the collaboration of employees in a store, but also of various departments across our entire company! It’s now my fifth year with Sephora. I have gradually climbed through the ranks to become a store manager. I have been able to be my true self – doing what I love. I have been able to grow my career and live my life to the fullest. Be Fearless! Be Yourself!