Movers and Shakers: Antoinette Hamilton, Director, Diversity and Inclusion, L’Oréal USA

Image Courtesy The Network Journal

The best advice Antoinette Hamilton ever received came from a Mary Timmons, a former mentor. “I was nineteen years old, and she told me ‘Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.’ It set the tone for my career.”

Now Director of Diversity and Inclusion at L’Oréal USA, Hamilton’s own advice for young people entering the workplace is just as encouraging: “Be curious and be great,” she said.

An International Career

After graduating from Hampton University, a historically Black university in Virginia, Hamilton began working at INROADS, a non-profit devoted to developing future minority talent. “We trained students on the soft skills they needed to succeed in corporate America and matched them with corporate internships. It was a great place to start my career.”

She continued, “I wanted a more international experience, and left INROADS for Japan. I taught cultural communication in Japanese High Schools, but more than that, I was a cultural ambassador, exposing Japanese students to what life was like outside their immediate slice of the universe.”

After three years in Japan, Hamilton took a job at L’Oréal USA, in Diversity and Inclusion. She says her proudest professional achievement so far has been the opportunity to have an international career. “I have a unique foundation,” she said. “I see the world very differently than if I had stayed in the United States on a more traditional path.”

“And I’ve had the opportunity to play internationally at L’Oréal USA, too,” she continued, citing the company’s Paris headquarters, as well as a recent trip to Ghana where she represented L’Oréal’s interests at The Network Journal’s Top Black professionals under 40 in Africa inaugural gala. She was also honored as one of the Top 40 under 40 Black professionals in the US in 2010.

Looking forward, Hamilton said, “In five years, I want to still be working in diversity management. I definitely want to stay in this path, but I’d like to be applying what I’ve learned in another country.” And further down the line, Hamilton said, “I’d like an expanded function in the corporate communications space.”

Employee Engagement and Industry Issues

Currently, Hamilton said, she is working on a number of exciting projects. “From a diversity management standpoint, I’m working on building ERGs, or employee resource groups. We don’t have them at L’Oréal USA, but we’re working on a pilot program. We’re very keen on establishing relationships with our employees. For one thing, it shows them we care. But it also gives them the opportunity to engage in the organization beyond their everyday jobs.”

She continued, “Second, currently we’re in talks with the Helsinki Commission to conduct a Congressional Briefing on diversity management in the private sector. I’m pinching myself – I am excited to help facilitate this level of dialogue!”

And third, she said, “We’re working with Forbes magazine on a global study on diversity management trends moving forward for the next 10 years.”

Hamilton said there are several trends driving the beauty industry that she’s fascinated by as well. First of all, “The phenomenon in the beauty industry regarding how we’re using digital to engage our customers. The digital experience really helps us get close to the consumer – it’s an engaging platform, and I’m excited about it.”

She continued, “And from a diversity point of view, I like digital. It breaks barriers through diversities. Everyone’s online.”

Hamilton said she was also interested in the trends in the green space as well. “How we leverage sustainability and philanthropy to engage our customers – people ask if it’s just a fad. I don’t think so. People are convinced about the importance of the environment.”

Lessons Learned

“Because women questions themselves, or maybe because I didn’t have a lot of examples in my family of people who had a corporate career, but I wish I could have told myself when I was first starting out to worry less.”

She explained, “I worried about the decisions I was making – I was making the right ones – but you should live your life in the moment. Have a plan, but don’t worry over your decisions once you have begun executing.”

Hamilton said she sees the main challenge for professional women as “the idea of having it all.” She explained, “My generation – Gen X – and being a woman of color as well – we were told we could have it all. And it becomes a challenge, because you can’t. There are some choices you’re going to have to make.”

And Hamilton said, making choices is what makes work/life balance achievable. “Work life balance is about staying focused on your priorities and recognizing that you’re not able to give 100% on everything. It means recognizing that sometimes your 60% is pretty good (it meets the objective) and being okay with that!”

She explained, “At the end of the day we’re all whole people – there has to be some kind of balance. You can’t do everything all the time and be grounded and well rounded. My mantra is about staying focused on what’s important to yourself.”

She continued, “Give yourself a pulse check – [ask yourself] how am I doing? Am I impacting the goals I am trying to achieve? I take a mini break at least every other month to re-energize and recharge.”

Hamilton says her main advice for women beginning their careers is to be curious. “Be a sponge – want to explore potential and possibilities. Be open to the next opportunity.”

For women who are advancing toward leadership positions, she advised, “Stay focused and evaluate your own personal goals. If you’re on a fast track, stay focused. Sometimes we forget the things we told ourselves we wanted to do. Evaluate yourself on the goals you set when you were a junior person. Careers are made up of small jobs, and we can lose sight of that.”

In Her Personal Time

Outside work, Hamilton said she loves to ski. “I’d rather ski than do anything else. Talking about work/life balance, on Tuesday nights, I’ve worked with my manager to able to leave the office at 4:30 so I can be on the slopes by six!”

Besides skiing, Hamilton said she’s very involved with her community. “I volunteer with the New York Women’s Foundation. Our goal is to eradicate poverty for families in New York City. We really do groundbreaking work.” The organization provides grants and infrastructure-building for small non profits and start-ups dedicated to ending poverty. “It’s an organization that I love and I dedicate a lot of personal time to it.”