Q&A with Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Olaplex

Amanda Baldwin started her career at Goldman Sachs in 2000 as an Analyst in Investment Banking in New York. Since leaving the firm, Amanda has become a two-time CEO leading two nationally-recognized brands, first at Supergoop! and now at Olaplex. Amanda discusses her thoughts on leadership, her vision for Olaplex and how her time at Goldman Sachs shaped who she is.

 

How did you start your career at Goldman Sachs and what did you learn during your time here that helped you in the next phase(s) of your career?

During my sophomore year at Harvard, a close friend invited me to a GS info session. It was a year before I would apply for an internship, but I decided to go anyway. I’m so glad I did because it truly changed my life.

The Co-Head of Investment Management Services at the time was mid-presentation when the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate outside while it was pouring rain. Not missing a beat, he jumped up on a bench and continued with an incredible story of delivering for a client against all odds. The energy was infectious and the “show must go on” attitude was incredible. After attending that session, it was clear to me that GS embodied the idea that anything is possible and that hard work can take you anywhere. I knew I wanted to be a part of that, so I applied and received an offer for a summer internship after my junior year and then full-time after graduation.

I spent two years as an Analyst in Investment Banking. Because of that early training, I still run all my decisions through a model in my head. GS gave me the financial underpinnings to my liberal arts education, and a chance to be in “the room where it happens”. I also experienced an unwavering dedication to excellence and teamwork, and a culture that I’m honored to have been a part of.

My last six months at GS brought a whole new learning experience as it was right after 9/11. In the aftermath of the attacks, I sat in Bob Hurst’s office, the Vice Chairman of the firm at the time, as we all wondered how we were going to move forward. At the time, no one knew the answer and even in the face of so much uncertainty, Bob was confident that we would figure it out. As his Analyst in building the 9/11 United Services Group, I spent 100% of my time helping get that organization off the ground. I watched Bob take the skills he had learned over a lifelong career in business and use them to make a profound impact on the world. It was my first entrepreneurial experience and taught me that I could make a real impact that still influences the nonprofit work I do today.  

I believe that your first job shapes who you are for the rest of your life, and my time at GS certainly was that for me. I learned a tremendous amount – my brain always felt full and I loved everyone I worked with. I could not have asked for or imagined a better foundation for my career.

In 2016 you became the CEO of Supergoop! and expanded the company 40x under your leadership. What was the biggest lesson you learned while leading a nationally recognized brand? What was the most unexpected?

In 2004, I went back to school to pursue my MBA at Wharton and my admissions essay was about wanting to become a beauty CEO. While I loved financial environments, I wanted to tap into my creative side and lean into the design aspect of consumer products. After all, I always had too much fun designing deal toys for my team at GS!

After graduating from business school, I worked at Estee Lauder and LVMH. I received great training at both organizations – Estee Lauder taught me the fundamentals of running a global enterprise and LVMH gave me a depth of understanding of brand, design and creativity.  I then pivoted back to private equity at L Catterton as I was eager to return to those entrepreneurial roots first uncovered at GS. GS influenced me to be able to carve out a role for myself at PE firms given that I could speak both financial and operational languages.  

In 2016, I met the founder of Supergoop! when the business was doing just a few million dollars in sales and had one shelf at 100 Sephora stores. We had a small website, 10,000 Instagram followers and maybe about eight people on the team. It was a big idea and I knew it.  During my time as CEO, I helped to grow the company 40x, got profitable, raised capital several times (plus a great exit) and built an incredible team and brand that I’m very proud of.

It was my first time as a CEO, and I learned so much about leadership through both the fun and the tough times. I learned how to get comfortable with the unknown, particularly not always knowing how I would make every idea a reality, but that the secret was to put one foot in front of the other and never give up. I came to really enjoy and thrive off of the rollercoaster ride that is the ups and downs of that journey.

Supergoop! was far from a nationally recognized brand when I started as CEO. I felt like I could make the impossible happen which was rooted from my GS experience. I took the risk of trying to get the world to see what I saw in the mission to change the way the world thinks about sunscreen and I still pinch myself every day to think about how unbelievably impactful it was and still is.

Now, as the CEO of Olaplex, how have you leveraged your prior experience in the beauty industry? What excites you most about this role and opportunity?

When I was still at Supergoop!, I received a phone call from a fellow GS alum who I had known in the industry for a while. She asked me if I was interested in leading Olaplex. As I thought about it, I saw similar opportunities in Olaplex that I had seen in Supergoop! from early on. I saw the chance to build a brand in another nascent category, prestige hair, and to take on a full transformation at a larger scale at a public company. After seven and a half years as CEO of Supergoop!, I decided to take the leap.

Now, almost a year and a half into my journey with Olaplex, we have a strong senior leadership team in place and a clear vision for the road ahead. It’s an exciting time for us and we are focused on building a brand, harnessing our innovation and executing with excellence.

As you look to the future, what are your ambitions for Olaplex over the next few years? For yourself?

I believe that from day one, my mission was to understand what made Olaplex so revolutionary. You don’t often come across a business that has that kind of impact on a category and scaled to where it is now. I see a monumental moment right now with great potential to get the organization to where it is meant to be. I would consider myself a brand strategist and storyteller, product innovator, partnership builder and team leader – and every day I get to focus on my strengths, as well as continue to learn and grow.

We have a big and meaningful year ahead – as an organization and brand, we have the opportunity to lead and drive the industry forward. We recently rolled out a new brand vision as a foundational health and beauty brand empowered by innovation and inspired by the pro hair stylist. It is now time to make it real.

Team sentiment and the environment that I can create as a leader are what make me most excited on a daily basis. If I can get this right, then the business results will follow. I believe that people are the input into everything else that happens at a company, which is one of many lessons I took with me from GS.

Have you leveraged your GS network since leaving the firm? If so, how?

My GS network has been present in both the little things and the big. I am still in touch with my analyst class, my mentors, and others who are or have been at the firm. Whenever I meet a fellow GS alum, we automatically have a connection and know we would go the extra mile for each other.

In fact, Supergoop! was advised by GS during its acquisition in 2021. Dave Friedland, who taught me how to build a merger model when I was an Analyst, became the lead Managing Director on the deal, and I worked closely with Cosmo Roe who continues to be a great thought partner. I was so proud to be able to do that again, particularly from the other side of the table. In so many ways, I wouldn’t be where I am today without GS. 

 

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