Kristin Calve At the Table
A Focus on Solutions, Strategy and Continuous Improvement Kim Gerber, general counsel and corporate secretary at L’Oréal Travel Retail Americas, talks about the unpredictable path that brought her to the iconic French brand, why her grandfather was such an inspiration, and what traits she finds essential in her colleagues. CCBJ: What led you to join L’Oréal? Kim Gerber: In hindsight, my move to L’Oréal was not a predictable one. Prior to joining L’Oréal, I worked for Ryder, one of the country’s largest third-party logistics providers. That was my first in-house job. I worked there for seven years, being promoted over time to successively larger and more complex roles. At the time that I was approached about the position at L’Oréal, I was general counsel for Ryder Supply Chain Division, and I had created a strong network and reputation throughout the company in North America. The position at L’Oréal was intriguing to me for a few reasons. First, I’m an American lawyer who was working for a quintessential American services company in their global headquarters. In contrast, the role at L’Oréal involved working for the Miami-based subsidiary of a French corporation – L’Oréal Travel Retail Americas – which sells products, not services. This change from domestic to international work, from a headquarters office to a satellite office, and from services to products, meant that there were innumerable opportunities to challenge myself and to grow. I thought that this pivot would make for an interesting adventure. Further, before I joined any products company, it was really important to me as a consumer and as a mom to look for a values match on the issues that matter most to me. Those include commitments to sustainability and ethical sourcing, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. As an in-house lawyer, it’s important for me to feel confident in the company’s mission and its products, in order to be able 2
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to work authentically and more powerfully every day. I was interested in the commitments that I saw L’Oréal making in these areas. Please tell us about your leadership style and who or what has influenced it. My maternal grandfather had the most significant influence on my leadership style. He wasn’t a lawyer, but he was impressive in many ways. He was a man who grew up dirt poor and prioritized his education to be become a college dean at one of the country’s largest universities. He was a veteran who served in World War II and married someone he viewed as his equal far before that kind of thing was ubiquitous. I aspire to have his patience and his ability to see the good in people. He used to ask me regularly if the way that I acted made me proud and if I had done my best.
