“In this broken world, we need women more than any other time and the truth is women love beauty,” said Francis Tesmer, former biochemical engineer, economic senator of the European Senate of Economy, global entrepreneur and founder of Lead | Rolfs Global Institute powered by L’Oréal.
Driven by a passion to elevate women, Tesmer created Lead to transform the beauty industry through thought leadership and education in collaboration with a team of accomplished academics, higher education specialists and the United Nations with a new higher education degree program for the beauty industry’s workforce – currently made up of 92 percent women. Lead’s innovation in education offers an accelerated pathway for beauty professionals to earn their degree, empowering them to find success in one of the biggest, most powerful industries in the world. Lead, said Tesmer, is the project of her life and soul.
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Notably, for its efforts in the innovation of beauty education, Lead has already been recognized for its work by the United Nations, which awarded Lead the German/UNIDO SDG Innovation Award for its global commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals and the call to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all. Tesmer said she aims to continue to work with the UN as Lead expands.
Here, Tesmer talks to Fairchild Studio about bringing intelligent beauty to life, supporting
beauty’s workforce and why the beauty industry is poised to help elevate women.
Fairchild Studio: What are the obstacles that you are looking to overcome by creating Lead?
Francis Tesmer: Lead was created to transform the beauty industry through effective leadership and innovative education. We’re destroying the outdated perception that beauty is just a gig, and that professionals don’t need comprehensive education. Beauty is so important because it’s a powerful, $500 billion industry that touches every life, every day. Our goal is to elevate beauty professionals to deliver deeper, more intelligent care that will impact the world in an unprecedented way.
Fairchild Studio: What are your top three goals for Lead?
F.T.: To create the beauty professionals of the future, preparing them with a state-of-the-art education and the confidence of world-changing experience. To destroy the stigma that beauty is just a hobby, empowering the beauty professionals of tomorrow to flourish in the career for themselves, their family and the world. And to start a revolution, fully appreciating beauty for the crucial role that it plays in our lives and giving it the attention to detail that it deserves at every touchpoint.
Fairchild Studio: How do your goals for Lead reflect a larger issue that women are facing all over the world?
F.T.: By revolutionizing beauty education and leadership, we’re addressing the undervaluation and lack of respect for an entire industry that women rely on. Women want to be respected and heard as professionals, all while receiving the expertise and service they need in their beauty journey. Confidence is beautiful, and Lead is providing that pathway to our students and to the world.
Fairchild Studio: Why does the beauty industry have an obligation to empower women across the globe?
F.T.: For too long women have accepted the status quo. Beauty is such an integral part of our lives, yet the standards couldn’t be more stuck in the past. Women are capable of far more than we know, and beauty can help us realize this. It is only with effectively educated and experienced beauty professionals and entrepreneurs that we can update the industry to this level. When it’s done right, beauty imbues a rare type of confidence, enabling women to create change on a global level that touches the lives of every individual.
Fairchild Studio: You’ve said that through Lead you aim to bring “intelligent beauty” to the world. What does this mean?
F.T.: Intelligent beauty is about providing care that goes beyond the surface. It’s deeper, more comprehensive, more compassionate and based on science. It’s not just about looking good — it’s about empowering and inspiring people so they can go out into the world and make a significant impact in whatever they’re doing.
The women in the Lead program are learning to be the beauty professionals of the future. Our programs go beyond traditional skills, including innovative beauty techniques, business and leadership skills, a comprehensive approach to client care, the psychology of transformation, and how this creates broader impact in the world.
Fairchild Studio: What have been your proudest moments with Lead thus far?
F.T.: By equipping our students with the skillsets and tools of the future, Lead creates opportunities in the beauty industry that obliterate the stigmas of the past and create life-changing stepping stones toward success. Lead students are constantly realizing that they can do what was once thought impossible: turning passion into a flourishing career and into a profession that elevates the lives of those around them and sets a new standard in beauty.
With each graduate, we hear the stories pouring in with gratitude and confidence as they experience the difference that’s made by a degree in beauty. When a beauty professional can see the path to success in front of them, the steps to get there are suddenly tangible and attainable, enabling awareness and confidence that propels them to the next level.