Rob has been leading the beauty & cosmetics landscape in China for 30 years. Fluent in Mandarin, he has directed brand management efforts for over 50 brands across every category of beauty; and all major online and offline channels including travel retail, department stores, boutiques, Sephora, niche retail (Little B, SKP-S, Harmay), mass retail (The Colorist, Watsons), hair and beauty salons, and all major online channels (Tmall, Taobao, JD, RED, Douyin, Kuaishou and more).

Rob has held various roles across beauty starting in 1989 with P&G haircare on the Vidal Sassoon brand. After brand management positions with J&J and Clairol, at Groupe L’Oreal, Rob served as China GM and expanded the Matrix brand from 0 to over 10,000 salons, shattering all records in the country. Rob then worked for luxury giant LVMH, where he was GM of Benefit Cosmetics for China. In this role, he returned the brand to growth, drove an increase in Sephora sales for the brand of over 40%, and successfully launched Tmall.

In 2009, Rob founded Star Brands Asia, a company dedicated to developing and growing global beauty brands in the China market.

On his father’s advice, Rob began studying Chinese in 1980. He published a feature article on the salon industry in Beijing in 1986, inspiring a lifelong passion and dedication for the beauty industry in China.