Valerie Foong, Country Manager of Sephora Malaysia.
For many, a visit to a shopping mall is incomplete without a quick gander in Sephora. With its bright interiors, energetic staff and rows and rows of exciting brands, there’s just something about the retail beauty giant that pulls you into its world.
This was the same experience that Valerie Foong discovered when she first encountered the Sephora store in SoHo, New York over 20 years ago while on a business trip. “I was greeted at the door and the people were friendly, nobody pressures you,” she says. “It was like a playground, it was colourful and fun. They gave me a basket even though I didn’t intend to buy anything, but I walked out with a basket full of stuff!”
As the Country Manager of Sephora Malaysia since 2017, Valerie credits this authentic and comfortable “beauty playground” atmosphere as one of the main factors behind Sephora’s success. “Anyone can walk in here and although we have a team on hand to help, they are not there to pressure anyone. This is one of the biggest elements that make us different from most retailers out there,” she says.
The Changemaker
Sephora can be regarded as a true disruptor of the prestige beauty retail industry. Founded in 1969 in Limoges, France, the company has been part of the French Luxury Conglomerate LVMH since 1997. With 52,000 employees in 34 markets and an omnichannel network of more than 3,000 stores, flagships, e-commerce, and digital platforms, Sephora connects beauty enthusiasts the world over to close to 500 brands as well as their in-house label, Sephora Collection.
It is known as the world’s leading global prestige beauty retail brand which also serves as a dynamic beauty community. Their ultimate goal? To champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty.
This same vision can be observed at Sephora regionally. “For Malaysia, we have taken a lot of the DNA from the global perspective,” says Valerie. “We are also very aware of local trends and cultures and what ticks the consumers here.”
Sephora is lauded for having managed to democratise the beauty retail landscape through its emphasis on creating an exceptional customer experience—both in-store and online. It goes without saying that when it comes to any great retail experience in any industry, customer service is the top priority. In a crowded market, this has been a pivotal part of building brand loyalty among Malaysians.
For Valerie, who started her career in the service sector as an aircrew member, she has been able to leverage her interpersonal skills and deep understanding in catering to a diverse range of customer needs into her role today.
Beauty Runs Deep
A veteran in the Malaysian beauty industry, Valerie’s first foray into the beauty industry was as a Beauty Advisor at The Estée Lauder Companies where she learnt the ins and outs of customer experience in retail. Valerie soon progressed into senior roles, handling the brand management, sales and market development divisions of the brand.
Within 18 years, Valerie was also instrumental in launching Bobbi Brown in the Malaysian market before moving on to another beauty giant; MAC Asia Pacific, where she served as Regional Director.
A career transition saw Valerie leave the beauty world behind when she joined the luxury fashion retail brand Club Twenty One as Country Manager.
At the end of 2017, she returned to the world of beauty with Sephora. Leading the brand’s operations and growth from the onset, Valerie spearheaded a major project when she launched the Sephora Flagship Store at Sephora Fahrenheit 88, the first ever Sephora concept store in Malaysia and the largest beauty playground at 17,000 square feet.
The opening not only marked a major milestone for the company but was also an opportunity to introduce cutting-edge beauty innovations through immersive customer experiences, a groundbreaking concept for the market at the time.
Beyond the flagship store, Valerie has played a pivotal role in expanding Sephora’s presence in Malaysia through its online presence by driving customer engagement and building stronger relationships with the local beauty community.
Insider Knowledge
This insider connection has given way for Sephora to maintain its role as a trendsetter in the beauty world by focusing on trend-driven product curation. “We don’t just offer products, we offer products that resonate with beauty enthusiasts who want to discover the latest in skincare, makeup and wellness,” says Valerie. Enforcing this approach is their strong presence on digital platforms and social media, keeping them at the forefront of the beauty retail industry.
This strong understanding of the local market can be observed in Sephora Malaysia’s marketing campaigns which taps into the local culture and the country’s diverse community.
“There is a very deliberate focus (in the marketing campaigns) and we put in a lot of investment. We want to be inclusive but yet, it’s not in your face. We have talents, models and faces that symbolise Malaysians.” Data leveraged from global and local surveys also play a crucial role in checking the pulse of the local beauty market.
The team then uses this data to make informed decisions. So, whenever you see that blush or serum foundations are in, these are not choices made out of the blue, but decisions that go through a rigorous analysis process.
Sephora Malaysia introduced the first-ever Sephora Cafe in Southeast Asia at the Fahrenheit88 flagship.
While data insights are essential, Valerie also emphasises that it’s the local consumer needs that drive Sephora’s success in the region. “We stay deeply connected to the communities we serve, paying close attention to regional preferences, cultural shifts and evolving beauty habits,” she says.
“We actively listen to our customers, whether through feedback, social media, or direct interactions in-store and online. Understanding their changing needs, desires and challenges enables us to anticipate what’s next in the market.”
Such a move allows Sephora the authority to curate products that truly resonate with the customers in each market. Take, for example, Malaysians’ obsession with K-beauty or the growing demand for clean beauty products.
“We actively listen to our customers, whether through feedback, social media, or direct interactions in-store and online. Understanding their changing needs, desires and challenges enables us to anticipate what’s next in the market,” she says.
Sometimes it even pays to listen to what the landlords of the shopping malls have to say, a source for gaining a deeper insight into how different consumers shop. “Tourists from China are big on skincare and tourists from India are big on makeup, there are all these different trends,” says Valerie.
Working with local beauty insiders has also given Sephora its unique authority. The Sephora Squad is one such initiative where talents from diverse backgrounds are engaged who then come in and try the brands and products. This is done by leveraging authentic content from these beauty insiders and influencers, who really use the products they promote.
On Fleek
As to whether Valerie feels optimistic going into 2025, after what proved to be a volatile year for the market in 2024, she describes that she feels cautiously optimistic about the market. “There will be challenges, but I think locally, people do have the money to spend but they just need to find the reason to and they need to feel good while doing so,” she says.
“Everybody has a red lipstick, but what can we do differently that will make them say, ‘Wow I feel good here’. It’s a matter of how do we recreate or enforce this feeling?” We need to work harder, but I think if we do everything correctly, the market is still buoyant and it will continue to be so.”
Out of all the positions she’s held in the past, it might not come as a surprise that Valerie describes beauty as a big passion in her life and career, but the other passion is people. “I’ve been told that I’m a people manager from before and I believe that is so true because it’s only through people that makes an organisation. I personally engage with all of the team, right from the retail team to the people in the office,” she says.
“I listen to them with empathy. I believe working with the team from the heart is the starting point.” Although with her wealth of experience, Valerie is clearly one of those leaders who is open to learning new things from the people she works with.
One of the new things she has picked up these days is keeping up with the Gen Z and Gen Alpha beauty lingo, such as ‘slay’, ‘rizz’, ‘glow up’, ‘bussin’ so on, and so forth. “I think I may need to learn this new language,” Valerie says with a laugh. “It would be good to know because all our retail staff are so young!”
This story was first published in The Peak Malaysia’s February 2025 issue.
