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A Good Look
A company that manufactures the nutritional ingredients used in animal feed doesn’t seem like the most likely incubator for a beauty products division. But Kerty Levy (MBA 1997) sees it differently. As president of Kemin Personal Care, a division of Kemin Industries, Levy launched her business-within-a-business in January this year. “We have the opportunity to be the No. 1 supplier of natural ingredients to the personal care industry,” she told the Des Moines Register (May 21, 2011).
Levy has served in several executive roles at Kemin since joining the company in early 2006. Most recently, as corporate vice president, she managed marketing, sales, IT, operations, and HR. She honed in on personal care in 2010, as consumer demand for natural ingredients grew. (The market jumped by 12 percent last year and is expected to reach $6.7 billion in sales in 2015.)
“Everything we’re making is plant-based,” explains Levy in a phone interview from Kemin’s headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. “FloraGLO Lutein is a natural antioxidant from marigold extract. When used daily, it helps to protect and maintain the appearance of healthy-looking skin.” Rosemary is the source of a natural antirancidity agent. “In a synthetic form, the chemical compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) would perform the same function,” Levy notes, “but many consumers don’t want that in their products.”
Kemin Personal Care sells direct to businesses but pays close attention to the marketplace. “We listen to the consumer and to our customers who are feeling pressure from consumers to not include certain ingredients in their formulas,” says Levy.
The regulatory environment is another key consideration, she adds: “That’s coming to dominate almost every industry that touches people. Food, supplements, personal care — we have to be at the table to talk about what ‘natural’ means. Many consumers assume it means safe, but that’s not necessarily true. Our products are natural and promise safety, efficacy, and consistency.”
Demand for samples of Kemin Personal Care’s products has been very strong, notes Levy, but much patience is required as companies submit the ingredients used in their products to rigorous testing that can last as long as 18 months. “There is a lot of science involved,” she says. “It’s a very technical world.”
As Kemin Personal Care ramps up production, Levy has had ample opportunity to put her MBA skills to work. “HBS prepares people to think analytically, and about the details of the business, but it also teaches us to look at the broader picture,” she says. “The beauty market is a competitive and complex environment and I’ve had plenty of those ‘Kerty was sitting at her desk…’ case protagonist moments where I have to stop, take a breath, and figure out what direction we are going to head in next.”
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