Michelle Freyre
President, US Beauty | Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.
YALE UNIVERSITY & HARVARD UNIVERSITY
When she was just seventeen years old, Michelle Freyre had the opportunity to attend Yale University. The daughter of two immigrants who sought refuge from brutal dictatorships in Latin America, Freyre spoke English as her second language and had never seen snow. Yet, despite how daunting the prospect might have been, she headed for New Haven, Connecticut.
“I got on that plane and left Puerto Rico,” she says. “I took a risk.”
Since then, she has graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s in economics, earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and built her entire career on taking risks. In 1999, Freyre began working at Neutrogena as a brand manager. She thrived, helping the company to maintain its status as the top facial care brand in the country, and was happy in her marketing role at the company. In 2006, however, her mentor, Michael McNamara, convinced her to take a role in sales rather than marketing.
“My first thought was ‘Sales? Ugh, so tactical!’ But I decided to try it for one year and ended up absolutely loving it,” Freyre says. “I ended up growing in sales for the next eight years—and taking my career to the next level as a more well-rounded business leader.”
Freyre took another risk in 2016 when she was offered the job of president, US beauty, for Johnson & Johnson. To take the job, she would have to move her husband and twin babies from Los Angeles to Princeton, New Jersey. Nonetheless, it was an opportunity she could not pass.
“There’s no question that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t been willing to take risks to grow and develop in my career,” she says.
Leadership Tips
Throughout her career, Michelle Freyre has consistently moved outside her comfort zone and honed her leadership skills. To her, there are a few simple steps to being a good leader.
First, she says, you have to set a clear, inspirational vision for your team so that they know where they are going and how. Then, you have to personally engage them to feel empowered to dream big and work together.
“As a leader, I believe that fostering a culture that embraces diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints is just as important as delivering exceptional business results,” she says.
She also wants to ensure each person on her team feels confident in bringing their authentic self to work every day. In turn, she wants everyone to feel supported. “I want everyone to feel like I have their back,” she says, “which always brings out the best in people.”
