Get to know Kendria Strong, EVP of Godrej Brands.
The Hustle
Welcome to Byrdie’s new series, The Hustle.
As the executive vice president of marketing and innovation, Kendria Strong is spearheading many of these initiatives.
Strong previously worked at Revlon as the director of marketing before landing at Godrej Consumer Products in 2017.
Ahead, Strong discusses the ins and outs of working on iconic Black haircare brands.
I knew I wanted to pursue a career in business.
I knew that I wanted to create things.
I always thought I would work for a consumer goods company like food or packaged goods.
And that’s when I started to think about the business around beauty.
Godrej Consumer Products / Design by Cristina Cianci
I thought about the wonderful women in beauty creating the products I was using.
From there, I knew I was going to do something surrounding business and beauty.
I just was not exactly [sure] when or how I would get there."
They made sure I was not only savvy about the product but also about the business.
So when the opportunity with Godrej came about, I knew that it was a great fit for me.
I love making products affordable, accessible, and efficacious for women.
I saw that the brands in our portfolio had so much potential.
We came up with different products based on the benefit-need association.
When it came to formulas, our next largest opportunity was surrounding moisture.
Moisture continues to be the number one need for Black women when it comes to their hair.
When I first came into the organization, the category really didn’t exist on the retail shelves.
But as consumers, we were already coming up with our pre-poo treatments at home.
I knew I wanted to create a product that packaged all of that.
We tested it on additional consumers, and they loved it.
Over two years, I’ve seen that product go from zero to $3 million.
And now we see other brands coming out with pre-shampoos.
That lets me know I’ve left the mark and done something great."
It’s just a lovely opportunity to resurface many of those legacy brands."
I always start my morning off around 6 or 7 AM with meditation or prayer.
From there, I typically go into global meetings.
While I service our US brands, I also lead our brands worldwide.
Then I move on and meet with my team here in the States around 9 AM.
I manage a team of roughly 20 people that contribute to our brands.
Then, I will meet with our PR and integrated partnerships teams.
Throughout the day, we also talk about our community initiatives as well.
We check that we give back through student loan forgiveness or donating to areas affected by natural disasters.
Of course, every workday has its ups and downs.
That’s the most rewarding because I remember I wanted the opportunity at some point.
I wanted somebody to give me a chance.
One of my innovation managers went to work with Tracee Ellis Ross on Pattern Beauty.
Even though it is a competitive brand, seeing her do amazing things is fulfilling."
It’s important to have conversations that are not only based on your thoughts but also data points.
As a woman in the boardroom, it’s important to be opinionated and vocal.
The challenging part is ensuring that you’re heard.
That’s a new challenge for me.
