As a group of women working towards common goals for STYLE Canada‘s brand and business, we understand the value of peer support in the workplace. So, we decided to bring like-minded ladies in business together for dinner with Soho House Toronto last Fall to discuss how they got sh*t done while supporting one another. STYLE’s Supper Club at Soho House has now become a quarterly event for storytelling, networking, inspiring, and so much more.
After this month’s Supper Club, we decided to feature the women who make these events as beneficial and empowering as they are, and we’ll continue to feature them throughout the year in our #LeadingLadies series. Here’s hoping that we’ll see you at our next Supper Club. Keep your eyes peeled on our events page for more details.
Photo: Bettina Goesele
Bettina Goesele – Female Founder, Brand Consultant, and Lover Of Luxury
City: Toronto
Industry: Luxury lifestyle and fine arts
Side hustle: It’s now a full-time hustle – Goesele Brand Consulting
SC: What has your career path looked like?
BG: After 10 years of working for a series of large organizations like L’Oreal, Sotheby’s Auction House, LVMH, and the AGO, I decided to start my own brand consultancy last year that focuses on luxury lifestyle and fine art clients. It has been an extremely rewarding experience all while pregnant with my first child. I am currently working with brands ranging from Holt Renfrew to Air Canada and Hudson Yards. My career has spanned five cities, three countries, and three industries, all of which have shaped the strategist that I am today. It all started with a chemistry internship during which I quickly realized that I enjoyed organizing outings with my colleagues more than my time spent in the labs. So, I decided to change my career path and work as a brand marketer – the perfect marriage of the analytics that I enjoyed from the sciences and the creativity that I was craving.
I went on to intern in Los Angeles for Aviator Nation,which was only three employees at the time. I then worked as a brand marketer for Sharpie in Chicago, and after that, I moved to New York to work for L’Oreal on several luxury beauty brands including Lancôme and Kiehl’s Since 1851. I later pursued my passion for the arts and moved into the fine arts sector, working for Sotheby’s Auction House in New York and subsequently for the AGO and the MOCA in Toronto. I ended up returning to my beauty roots in the end and worked for LVMH in Toronto on the Givenchy and Kenzo Beauty lines, all before starting my own consultancy.
SC: How did you come up with the idea for your business?
BG: I have a unique skillset in the luxury goods and fine arts space that straddles the lines of product and experiential marketing. This combination of understanding the luxury consumer and being able to create unique experiences to cater to their interests is particularly in demand at the moment, given that people are less likely to go into physical stores to shop. They expect experiences more akin to a museum’s when they do venture out of the house. People want to use their leisure time to experience something unique, and retailers and brands that provide those kinds of opportunities will engage and build lasting relationships with their customers.
SC: Do you have any resolutions for 2020?
BG: My resolution for 2020 is to get more involved in volunteering in the arts community. I want to entice and engage people with the arts in Toronto. I have an interest in working with non-profits such as SKETCH, an organization providing opportunities for marginalized youth to experience the transformative power of the arts.
This interview has been edited and condensed by STYLE Canada.
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