I had the pleasure of leading a workshop on intrapreneurship at the Global Female Leaders - Changemaker Forum. I am particularly passionate about this topic and enjoy sharing my experience creating the brand Ulé within Shiseido. There is so much value in implementing startup projects within a company. While the end goal is often to develop new business opportunities, building a project from scratch within a big company has multiple benefits: it attracts new talent, instills entrepreneurial skills in employees, ignites innovation, and challenges the status quo to improve processes and, in turn, agility.
My friends and colleagues often say I am an entrepreneur in an ideal scenario—I have access to resources and a level of stability that many would dream of in the startup world. There is some truth in that, but innovating from within entails significant change and comes with its challenges; you need substantial buy-in throughout all levels of the organization because building a project takes patience, open-mindedness, motivation, and a deep belief in the benefits of breaking the status quo. Nothing should be overlooked, from the governance model to the processes, financial structure, HR strategy, and organization—they all need to work harmoniously for the project to succeed, which is no easy task!
Thank you, Nadia SCHULZE-CESAREO, Annika Vieten, and Angela Basile, for allowing me to share my personal experience and debate with so many inspiring women leading change across different industries. Shiseido Group EMEA, Ulé #GFL #intrapreneurship