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Janet Pardo

Early last year when Clinique expanded its distribution to include QVC, Pardo, the brand’s senior vice president of product development worldwide, added on-air personality to her duties. Not only does she explain the products, she demonstrates them with makeup artist-like ease. The skill harkens back to her college days when she worked part-time in a Macy’s cosmetics department.

“I still love getting behind the counter,” says Pardo, who recently worked side by side with Clinique consultants at a Lord & Taylor store during one of the brand’s gift-with-purchase events. “I am very sensitive to keeping my finger on the pulse of what goes on there. If a product is not performing or a color is not right, we can’t sell it.”

Tell us about your work at Macy’s.
I started at the Revlon counter, that’s when Revlon was still in department stores. Since the products were not that expensive – maybe $3 to $5 for a lipstick – and I was working on commission, I had to sell a lot. It was very motivating for me. At a young age I saw the power of how you can really help someone in making a decision, based on how you present yourself. I truly loved it.

What did you learn from working with the public?
I learned how to deal with people and it has helped me throughout my life. Working in retail, you meet all kinds of people - kind, miserable, indifferent. It taught me how to read a room and be resilient and shift gears if people are not responding. You have to get people to believe in your product. At the same time, it is important not to compromise yourself. The minute you do, it is time to say `good bye.’

What came next?
Through an associate at Macy’s I heard about an opening with Shiseido for a coordinator. That was my first full-time job after college. I worked with a Japanese chemist on bringing products to the U.S. market. I conducted focus groups and tested products and reported whether the formulas were acceptable here. I learned a lot about the Japanese consumer. I stayed for three years and left when the chemist, who has become a lifelong friend, returned to Japan. Then it was time for me to pursue my dream of working for Estée Lauder.

What steps did you take?
Out of the blue I called the company and asked for the product development department. I got the name of someone there and sent my resume. HR called me about a job. It was as assistant manager for Estée Lauder makeup worldwide. I got to travel all over the world and learned about the company’s family-oriented values regarding quality and training. I was only 23 and stayed in the job for two years. Then Revlon came knocking on my door with a position as director of the Borghese, Alexandra de Markoff and Lancaster brands, which it owned then.

You decided to return to The Estée Lauder Company. Why?
Revlon was a great school. I was there for three years and then a got a phone call that Clinique was looking for somebody to head up product development for makeup. I stayed for ten years in that job, and also did fragrance development for Clinique. Next I ran the company’s Origins product development department for three years. Then a senior member of the Clinique management team was retiring. I was asked if I would be willing to return to Clinique and run the product development department. I just needed as long as it took to say, “yes!”

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