L'Oréal

From Internship to Digital Marketing VIE at L'Oréal's New York Office. Discover Agathe Gaillard's Career Path!

Who are you? And where do you come from?

My name is Agathe, and I was born and raised near Paris. I studied in a French Business School in Lille and after 5 years of courses and a gap year, I graduated in Marketing (Master’s degree). After my gap year I did my end of study internship at L’Oréal France as an e-commerce & CRM project manager for the brands Biotherm and IT Cosmetics. Now, I am still in the luxury division of the group but working at L’Oréal DMI* of IT Cosmetics as Digital Platforms & services coordinator in the New York office on a VIE* contract.

*VIE = Volontariat International en Entreprise
*DMI = Division Marketing International 

How did you discover L'Oréal?

I've known L’Oréal forever! Like many French people, I feel that L'Oreal products have accompanied me throughout my life. From baby products and shampoo, to makeup that I dreamed of when I was younger, and now the moisturizers and anti-aging creams that I'm already starting to use! Beyond the products, it’s the slogans, the ads, the L’Oréal “égéries”* that have always fascinated me and it’s partly the marketing of the brand studied during my Master degree that made me want to be part of the group.

*Muse or face of a brand

What is your favorite part of your job? 

What I prefer is that I am in a pivotal position. I am constantly invited to discuss and debate with other people and teams. I really need this strong link with the creative, product marketing, and education teams to be able to take care of the brand's website.

What surprised you when you arrived at L'Oréal?

I was surprised by the diversity of my missions and by the responsibilities that were given to me. I was very quickly integrated into my team and was straight away give very impactful missions, both operational and strategic for the brands.

This integration was also possible thanks to the coffee chats that I had taken the time to have at the very beginning of my internship. This is the second thing that surprised me the most: intra and inter team human relations are so important that even as interns we had the opportunity to meet people of all hierarchical levels, all professions, and all divisions. Diversity, inclusion and communication are important pillars at L’Oréal, and I felt it since I began working in the group!

Your missions in a few words? 

I am currently in charge of coordinating digital and services platforms on IT Cosmetics e-commerce sites around the world. At the DMI, we have strategic missions that imply the brand globally. In my digital team, we deliver assets, website animations, new features, product launches and online services to countries to make life easier for e-commerce websites. We also take care of our image on retailer websites.

A lesson you learned at L'Oréal?

Joining L’Oréal is both a professional and personal experience!

My internship and now my VIE have helped me gain self-confidence, present my ideas and projects, discover new ways of thinking and working thanks to the people I have had the chance to meet and experiences I have had the chance to live.

Any advice for future interns in your industry? 

Be yourself, dare to give your opinion, suggest new things, trust your manager and his/her feedback, and meet as many people as possible because each l'Oréalien has something to teach you!