The 55+ market is growing in influence, and ageing is being reframed as aspirational. How do you think fashion and beauty brands need to evolve to stay relevant in this changing landscape, and where do you see the biggest untapped opportunities?

I think brands need to really know who their audience is - not who they think they are.

So many brands say "25 - 55" and make generic products to cover a range.  Those who really own the narrative and truly design and manufacture for an older consumer will stand out in a world of product pollution. I am 57 and look for specific ingredients, claims and clinical trials in beauty (and styles in fashion) that don't infantilase or age me. Deep consumer connection, and not trying to be everything to everyone is critical.

You’ve been at the forefront of beauty, fashion and wellness. Where do you see the biggest business opportunities in the next five years—especially for brands that want to challenge the status quo?

I see (and hope) targeted products and values-based brands continue to dominate. Sarah Creal took a risk stating clearly she was creating a brand for 40+ women. As such, she could not get funded as investors told her "no one wants to look at old women". She had to ask her ex - husband to invest in her (thankfully he did!) and now investors are chasing her.

Fashion brands like Another Tomorrow, built on sustainability and staying the course (even though it is much harder to build a brand this way), are the ones I root for. I believe science, ingredients and efficacy will continue to lead in beauty. Quality over quantity is key overall, as consumers are making decisions through a new lens while we watch the current administration dismantle protections and corporations decide whether they value profit over people. I think 2025 is the year we will learn about and own our purchasing power.

In recent years, longevity-focused brands and science-led skincare have gained traction. What innovations do you think will define the future of beauty, and where do you see the smartest investment happening in this space?

I think science will continue to lead. As someone on an HRT protocol who has invested years in experimentation with biohacking, you realise that some things are about ritual and feeling good (aromatherapy etc.), but others are really about impact. How products affect sleep, memory, depression and overall mental health starts to feel more critical than just hydration and fine lines. I see beauty becoming deeply scientific, highly personalised and sustainability-driven.

In 2020, you transitioned from your executive experience to co-found THE BOARD, a collective of top-tier experts across industries like fashion, beauty, wellness and sustainability. What led you to make that move, and what market changes did you see that influenced this decision?

For years, my side hustle was as a networker, connector, advisor and mentor. While I held leadership roles, I slowly became a go-to for hundreds of brands looking for guidance and talent that could help them. As the CBO for mobile marketplace Spring, I onboarded 1,600 brands in three years. It was shocking to see how siloed and gated the fashion industry was. I saw brand after brand making the same misstep just down the street from each other. My unique 360 view clarified the need for a curated destination that could connect the dots and in 2015 I wrote a business plan that was basically "Angie's list meets Tinder" for brands. I kept hearing from brands that they didn't have the talent in-house to navigate "the next thing", so they either had someone internally punch above their weight, hired for a role they had not quite outlined, or they needed to outsource. I had been connecting designers, founders and executives with others who'd recently navigated the same challenges (re-platforming a website, hiring international agents, choosing this 3PL over that one etc.). When the pandemic hit and I watched the fractional talent pool, populated by so many peers, increase exponentially—and geography no longer mattered—I knew it was the right time to launch THE BOARD. 

The traditional idea of retirement is evolving. Do you think companies are doing enough to engage senior talent in more flexible, meaningful ways? What opportunities are being missed?

It's clear that very few will be retiring at 65, even those who can easily afford to. It is more about evolution and growth as humans - but corporate culture sadly puts an expiration dates on employees—especially women—in the majority of industries.

The heartbreaking truth is that these talented leaders (50+) are highly skilled, knowledgeable, networked, driven and motivated, but they have also moved past ego and into impact. This is an extremely powerful combination and demographic for emerging brands to tap into to drive business. Companies that are building with leaner teams and seeking outside talent as needed realise that hiring an expensive C suite and building layers and layers of management is no longer the way to scale. Technology is changing rapidly, and it's impossible to keep up, especially as internal management needs to focus on daily operations. I really see a complete shift in the way teams are built (in house talent + outsourced skills + technology) as the roadmap for the future of work.

What strategies do you recommend to combat age bias in the hiring process? How can businesses ensure they’re hiring talent based on skills and values, rather than age?

The hustle is real. As we age out, we need to work even harder to stay relevant. We also need to advocate for and educate leaders about these new ways to access talent. While younger generations may be more digitally native, they lack hands-on experience and networks needed to really drive opportunities. I see the need for multigenerational teams—each side respecting and learning from one another, and collaborating.

How do you see the gig economy evolving in the next 5-10 years, especially as more senior talent moves away from traditional corporate structures?

The gig economy is transforming how companies access specialised expertise, allowing them to drive growth and innovation without the high cost of full-time hires. This shift isn't a passing trend—it really is a strategic evolution. The number of LinkedIn profiles mentioning ‘fractional leadership’ skyrocketed from just 2,000 in 2022 to 110,000 last year, so for C-suite professionals staying ahead requires continuous upskilling, yet expecting one individual to master every necessary skill is unrealistic. This is where fractional executives and senior freelance talent come in—offering businesses the agility to bring in top-tier expertise when and where it's needed most. I think of this as "right talent, right time".

I honestly built THE BOARD to be that first trusted phone call a leader or founder makes when they realise they need expert support. Having sat in the CEO seat myself, when you need help you tend to call your peers and ask, "do you know a good X". I want leaders to say "SHIT, we need help, let's call THE BOARD!"

Sometimes the need is 1:1 talent matching, but our real unique zone of genius is curated DREAMTEAMS (think swat teams) bridging the talent gaps to run in parallel with internal teams to bring exponential value. I've personally curated our elite network of 235+ top-tier professionals that are driven, ego-free and deeply generous in their approach. These industry leaders have stepped away from toxic or static cultures to embrace a more entrepreneurial mindset, fuelled by the passion they have to help multiple brands scale, innovate and thrive, rather than being confined to just one. THE BOARD can uniquely deliver impact in a way that values human connection, generosity of spirit, and an experience that everyone benefits from.