Behind Elite Model Look: Jessica Andersson, Oriflame

We are so excited that Oriflame is partnering with Elite Model Look for the World Final 2022. Oriflame is all about being healthy, safe products that deliver great results. Can you tell us what this partnership means to Oriflame?

I am very proud and happy to be a partner to the world’s most prestigious model contest. It is not only about beauty, it´s also about creating business opportunities and about fulfilling peoples dreams which correspond very well with our mission at Oriflame.

Elite Model Look is the world’s most exciting platform for discovering tomorrow’s generation of models. Can you tell us what beauty means to you today?

I have a holistic view on beauty. For me, it’s not only how you look, but also how you live, feel and act. It’s about being confident in who you are and finding balance in life. A balance that come from the inside and out – that puts you in control no matter what life throws at you – that lets you grow and thrive. ​I believe that when you look and feel good you have the opportunity to reach your full potential. 

You have been working at Oriflame for 9 years and now are Managing Director of Oriflame in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Can you tell us about what you love best about your role?

When I started at Oriflame, I soon found out it was a lot more than a cosmetics company. I fell in love with our products and I fell in love with what the company was doing and helping people do. I loved that I could make a difference.  We are doing something far more important than just selling cosmetics; we are changing lives. It’s not about lipstick, it´s really about helping people become the very best they could be, and I fell in love with this company in every way. At Oriflame, I have the opportunity to make a positive and lasting impression on many. It’s about helping people around the world – not just financially, but on a deeper level as well.  That’s a reward no trophy or any amount of money can buy. It´s paychecks from the heart.

We heard you have a relationship with Swedish Royal Family. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Oriflame has been supporting several of the important initiative and project that the Royal family is running for many decades. For example, the World Childhood Foundation, founded by HM Queen Silvia of Sweden is co-founded by Oriflame. The Childhood Foundation helps the most marginalized children around the world. Oriflame also supports The Queen Silvia Nursing Award. This is an international award founded in 2013 with a mission to give nursing students and nurses a platform to share their ideas to improve the care for older people and people living with dementia.

According to our sources, you are an advocate of women’s rights. Are you able to bring this passion into the workplace at Oriflame?

Yes, I am very passionate about empowering women and to actualize their full potential and help them fulfilling their goals and dreams. For 20 years, I have dedicated my work to empowering women and putting them in control of their own future and trained top leaders and professionals in different countries to achieve new levels of success for themselves. To me people always come first. I want our employees and our sales force to feel challenged and needed. I want them to feel that Oriflame is a place for people who act on their dreams. 

Can you tell us a little about some of your charity work?

Social responsibility is important to Oriflame because of the impact and potential influence we have on people around the world. Through our 5,200 employees, the Oriflame Brand Partners, our suppliers, the communities where we operate and our customers, our business touches millions of lives every day. Our commitment to social sustainability is an ongoing one. This section of our strategy covers the targets that relate to people and social sustainability. That includes our employees, our brand partners, our customers and those employed by our suppliers. That’s why this section addresses issues such as human rights, consumer safety, diversity and inclusion, anti-corruption, and employee health and safety.

Our role as an aspiring socially sustainable company allows us to create a lot of positive change across our value chain. However, we want to reach further than our own immediate network. This is why we engage with charitable organisations all around the world – it is our way of creating long-term value for people we do not connect with through our business, specifically for those children and young women who are most vulnerable in society.

The Oriflame markets raise money for charitable organisations, for example by raising funds through sales. These initiatives are coordinated under the umbrella of our independent Oriflame Foundation. During 2021, the total amount of money raised to charity in Oriflame markets was €0.92 million. Why we created the Oriflame Foundation; Oriflame has always supported charitable causes, but a number of years ago we decided we would make a bigger positive impact in all regions by combining all our efforts under one umbrella – the Oriflame Foundation, established as an independent foundation.

The Foundation allows us to make long-term charity commitments and partnerships, and measure the quantity, quality and overall impact of our investment. It also reinforces our reputation as a socially responsible company and attracts more talented and value-driven employees and brand partners. How the Foundation works: from the beginning, Oriflame has strived to support NGOs and charity organisations around the world. These include the World Childhood Foundation, founded by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden and co-founded by Oriflame and the AF Jochnick Foundation. 

In Czech Republic and Slovakia we also support local charities which support children from children's homes in their first independent steps, because leaving children's home and be suddenly all alone is extremely difficult and risky for them. These charity projects are called RESTART in Czech Republic and GOOD START in Slovakia. Besides these projects we also support local people while natural disasters, we plant trees and other local activities. Wellbeing and dignified life of local people is important for Oriflame in every country.

Finally, do you have any advice for the Finalists taking part in Elite Model Look World Final 2022?

My advice is to believe in yourself. Each human being is unique and unrepeatable. Don’t compare yourself with anybody; this will wear away you. Always go forward and everyday feel more proud of yourself and of little and great achievements.