Sephora DE&I Heart Journey
Executive summary
The year after Sephora debuted its 2019 manifesto, “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” the North American prestige beauty retailer launched its first comprehensive DE&I strategy, Sephora DE&I Heart Journey. This work focuses on three pillars: the company’s employees, its consumers, and the communities it serves. It stands out in the way it develops both employees and future employees through scholarships, training, and mentorship programs; builds DE&I goals into performance indicators; and prioritizes its offerings from brands owned by Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color. As Sephora itself says, “We believe that beauty thrives in diversity and discovery.”
The DE&I Heart Journey aimed to identify gaps in leadership, and Sephora found that Black and Latine employees were largely underrepresented, especially in the San Francisco headquarters. The company’s DE&I team and 11 Task Forces also conducted listening sessions—including 800 Black employees—and brainstorming sessions—including 500 employees—to share experiences across stores, distribution centers, and offices.
Sephora’s DE&I team, a part of the HR business area, leads the direction of the initiative. George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga, VP, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, heads the team and works directly with Sephora leadership to align and inform their ongoing strategies.
Eleven DE&I Task Forces execute the strategy, each of which supports one aspect of the initiative. Sephora’s ERGs, called INCommunities, provide feedback to leadership and across the organization to share ideas and spur new initiatives.