Gerard Richardson
Adore Beauty Group
[LinkedIn Profile](http://www.linkedin.com/in/gerarddrichardson)
Executive Summary
Gerard Richardson is a senior marketing executive at Adore Beauty Group, Australia's leading online beauty retailer. With a career spanning over the beauty, retail, and marketing sectors, Gerard currently serves in upper management at Adore Beauty, with recent titles including Head of Brands & Campaign Marketing, Head of Retail Marketing (Retail Media), and Head of Commercial Partnerships. Having celebrated over three years with Adore Beauty and a relocation from New Zealand to Melbourne for this role, Gerard is a key driver of brand and campaign strategy, partner relations, and marketing innovation.
Professional Background & Current Role
Gerard Richardson holds a triple major in Marketing, Commercial Law, and Economics and possesses a robust foundation in retail and customer experience management. His career began in Auckland with Farmers, New Zealand's prominent department store chain, initially in cosmeceuticals and marketing roles. His early immersion in retail stems from a family background in the industry: his grandparents managed a successful shoe store, contributing to his deep understanding of customer-centric retailing.
Gerard joined Adore Beauty as a Brand Marketing Manager for Haircare, Makeup & Fragrance before quickly progressing, due to internal advancements, to oversee all brand and campaign marketing functions. In his role as Head of Brands & Campaign Marketing, Gerard manages a team of six, directly collaborating with Adore Beauty’s Brands & Merchandise Team. This team is responsible for growing and supporting over 260 cosmetic brands carried by the platform, developing and executing the full spectrum of external marketing campaigns, and building strategic partnerships with external brand stakeholders.
Notable is Gerard’s involvement in every campaign launched by Adore Beauty, as well as annual “strategy season” interactions, where he and his team meet with all brand partners to strategize for the coming year. His core responsibilities also include:
- Brand partner management and activation – bringing partners’ local strategies to life in line with Adore’s objectives.
- Strategic campaign planning and execution – overseeing the creation, launch, and continual optimization of multichannel marketing campaigns.
- Team leadership – leading a high-performing marketing cohort, delegating effectively, and driving innovation across retail media initiatives.
- Commercial partnership development – as evidenced by his updated title, Gerard plays a central role in commercial relationships and in maximizing value from the Adore Beauty retail media network.
His leadership is described as the engine of the business, with the marketing function acting as a central coordinator for both internal collaboration and external partnership execution.
Work Ethic, Routines, and Leadership Philosophy
Gerard demonstrates strong organizational discipline and a belief in clear boundaries to drive both performance and well-being. He is a proponent of work-life balance through structured routines and delegation, such as:
- Implementing non-negotiables around meeting times (no meetings before 8:45am; 5pm Friday finish).
- Blocking dedicated “personal focus time” for deep work and minimizing interruptions.
- Advocating for a compressed work week to encourage operational efficiency.
- Prioritizing team empowerment and encouraging professional development by delegating responsibility to his team.
Gerard utilizes practical strategies to maintain high productivity, including limiting reliance on daily to-do lists in favor of weekly priorities, and integrating healthy lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and nutrition improvements (e.g., using HelloFresh). His approach to leadership emphasizes transparency, open communication, and respect for personal boundaries, fostering a culture of trust and accountability within his team.
Industry Perspective & Professional Interests
Gerard has a profound passion for retail, marketing, branding, and customer experience management. He draws inspiration from global retail and branding figures, notably Mary Portas (retail transformation), Anna Wintour (brand building and decisive leadership), and Jo Malone CBE (entrepreneurial, relationship-driven brand growth). This external influence reinforces his holistic approach to innovation and strategic growth at Adore Beauty.
He is recognized as an authority and speaker in his field, featured in industry forums such as eTail Australia, and frequently shares insights via LinkedIn on the evolution of retail marketing, campaign strategy, and brand partnerships. Gerard’s public communications highlight Adore Beauty’s “unwavering commitment to innovation and customer experience” as the underpinning of its competitive edge.
Adore Beauty Group Context
Adore Beauty Group is Australia’s largest online beauty retailer, established in 1999 by Kate Morris. The company offers:
- 260+ brands
- Over 11,000 SKUs
- A strategic focus on innovation, brand partnership management, and customer experience as critical success drivers
The retail marketing unit, led by executives such as Gerard, is tasked with maximizing the impact of campaigns, growing the partner ecosystem, and efficiently deploying retail media assets to drive growth.
Actionable Insights
- Gerard’s strategic priorities focus on scalable brand partnerships, innovative campaign execution, and continual optimization of retail media initiatives.
- Open to external collaboration and new solutions: Gerard values external networking and new approaches that enable brand growth and market differentiation.
- Authority and decision-maker: He has both budget responsibility and executional influence in all matters relating to brands marketing, retail partnerships, and retail media at Adore Beauty.
- Values efficiency and innovation: Demonstrated willingness to adopt new technologies and business processes, both for operational efficiency and for personal productivity.
Contact Profile Summary
- Name: Gerard Richardson
- Current Role: Head of Brands & Campaign Marketing / Head of Retail Marketing (Retail Media) / Head of Commercial Partnerships
- Company: Adore Beauty Group, Australia’s leading online cosmetics retailer
- Location: Melbourne, Australia (originally from New Zealand)
- LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/gerarddrichardson](http://www.linkedin.com/in/gerarddrichardson)
- Professional Focus: Retail marketing, brand partnership, campaign innovation, customer experience, retail media
- Team Leadership: Manages a team of 6+ marketing professionals
- Influence: Key decision-maker on marketing, brand/merchandise strategy, and commercial partnerships
- Industry Thought Leadership: Frequent speaker and content contributor, active in industry forums
Gerard Richardson is a central leadership figure within Adore Beauty, with broad influence over brand marketing, campaign management, and innovative strategies in the fast-evolving online beauty sector.
