Kuwaiti trailblazer Nora Al-Ramadhan is the CEO of beauty empire, Apotheca Beauty. Founded alongside her sisters Sarah and Dana, the talented trio have succeeded in curating a cherry-picked assortment of premium beauty brands.
Throughout the last decade, Apotheca has brought a huge range of cult beauty favourites to the region from Dr Barbara Sturm to Omorovicza to Oribe to Hourglass and more. Since its launch in 2013, Apotheca has grown tremendously and is showing no signs of slowing down.
As part of GRAZIA’s Career Edit, investment banker turned beauty entrepreneur, Nora shares with us her journey and aspirations for the remaining year.
My current role is…
NAR: CEO and Co-Founder of Apotheca Beauty.
When I was younger I wanted to be…
NAR: A Doctor.
My favourite subject at school was…
NAR: Biology
My first job was…
NAR: Investment Banker in New York
My career path so far has been…
NAR:I started my career as an investment banker in New York and from there continued to work in the finance world for about two and a half years before quitting to officially launch Apotheca Beauty in Kuwait with Anastasia Beverly Hills.
The role the UAE has played in my career is…
NAR: I launched our UAE entity in 2016 and since then the UAE has continued to be a growing market for us, opening new doors and allowing us to recruit international talent. The beauty industry in the UAE is incredibly dynamic and helps to pave the way for the rest of the region with its high growth across new categories such as skincare and wellness.
I was inspired to enter into the fashion space because…
NAR: I loved that it was such a tangible industry for me and one that I had a personal passion for.
My daily routine consists of…
NAR: Early morning work outs, followed by plenty of work calls, internal team meetings, and catching up on emails before heading home to cook dinner.
My role as CEO & Co-Founder entails…
NAR: Overseeing the long-term interest of the company and identifying areas for development, whilst guiding our wider management teams.
The biggest hurdle I have experienced in my career…
NAR: Starting a business a young female entrepreneur in a region dominated by men at the time. It was challenging to be taken seriously, and not have my success threatened.
The biggest milestone I have achieved is…
NAR: Continuing to work with such innovative beauty brands, helping create new markets in the Middle East and launching such personally curated products to our customers in 5 countries.
A quote I live by is…
NAR: “I’m just not giving up. The woman I will be in a few years in counting on me and the world has shifted.”
What I hope for 2023 is…
NAR: To be fortunate enough to continue spending my time working with such hard-working, dedicated and inspirational women every day.
