Listen. Learn. Lead.
Kimberly Hairston-Hicks is CMO of Gold Bond, the 100-year-old skincare brand owned by Sanofi Consumer Healthcare. She leads a modernisation strategy that balances a century of heritage with the innovation and consumer intimacy needed to reach new audiences, holding prices steady and launching new products while the category shifts.
“You have to stay true to the soul of the brand. What got you to the table is not what keeps you at it.”
Kimberly Hairston-Hicks is a CPG brand builder whose career spans two decades across some of the most recognised names in beauty, wellness, and consumer goods. As Chief Marketing Officer of Gold Bond, the 100-year-old skincare brand owned by Sanofi, she is leading a modernisation strategy that balances heritage with innovation, expanding the brand’s reach to new consumers while deepening its connection with loyal ones.
Hairston-Hicks came to marketing by way of journalism. She earned a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Kean University and was working on a television show called Business Forum when a chance encounter inspired her to pursue business school. She completed her MBA at Clark Atlanta University, where she discovered brand management and never looked back. Her first role was at Coca-Cola on Diet Coke, an experience she credits with instilling an unwavering commitment to the consumer.
From Coca-Cola, she built a career across global beauty and consumer goods, holding senior roles at L’Oréal, Coty, and Unilever. She led brand turnarounds at heritage names including Fashion Fair and Dr. Miracles. In parallel, she founded Good Beaute, a skincare company formulated for melanin-enriched skin. She joined Gold Bond as Head of Gold Bond before being elevated to CMO, reshaping its strategy with startup agility within the Sanofi structure.
“I listened to what consumers loved about the brand. They said: it works. That was the equity.”
“I took the first six months just listening to consumers and what they thought about the brand.”
Hairston-Hicks joined Gold Bond with a rule: no strategic moves until she had truly heard the consumer. The consistent signal that emerged was simple. It works. That single equity, built over a century, became the foundation for everything that followed. Listening is not passive. It is how you earn the roadmap.
“You must take risk without losing your core.”
Modern brand management is a constant negotiation between the loyal consumer and the new one. Gold Bond’s core consumer is 40-plus and wants to age well. They reject anti-ageing language but embrace the science of ageing gracefully. Every new product, from the Plumping Collagen serum to the Walmart exclusive scented range, had to be honest about that.
“Consumers are telling us in real time what causes matter.”
Social media and TikTok have permanently altered the power dynamic between brands and the people they serve. Consumers now scrutinise ingredients, demand transparency, and vote with their wallets on values alignment. Hairston-Hicks does not treat this as a threat. She treats it as data, the clearest signal a brand builder could ask for.
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