For our Ladies Who Lead series, female leaders in luxury and fashion share their journeys to the top and their learnings along the way. Here, Elaine Chang, president, Tibi, discusses career turning points, brand building in the face of change and the importance of inclusive outlooks
How did you come to join Tibi and become CEO?
This spring marks my twelth year with Tibi, and it is a special, special place to me. I met the owners, Amy and Frank Smilovic, through a mutual acquaintance. At the time, I had been working in the music and entertainment industry for more than a decade at Universal Music Group and MTV Networks, focused on digital transformation during a time when traditional music distribution was being upended by technology. When I met Amy and Frank, they had just decided to reposition Tibi, which was already 15 years old at the time, into the advanced designer brand it is today and were looking for someone to help lead marketing, branding, and e-commerce. Although I had no fashion experience, I had learned a lot about brand building in the face of change from some of the greatest creative and business minds in media. I believed that I could apply these lessons to Tibi and its ambitious goals. I came to the table with adaptability, open-mindedness, and creative problem solving skills (plus an intrinsic love of fashion). It was truly thrilling because there is no playbook for a brand repositioning; being privately owned has been critical to our success as Tibi almost reaches the 30-year mark.
In 2017, I took on my current role of president, and I attribute my growth over the course of my time at Tibi to always maintaining curiosity about the business and industry. I feel most fulfilled when I can connect the dots, because winning in business is all about synthesising disparate data points and figuring out if they can lead to unique insight that drives competitive advantage.
What was a turning point in your journey as CEO?
The pandemic in 2020 definitively sharpened the way in which I see the world and what it means to run a healthy business. Working beside the owners of Tibi during this crisis taught me invaluable lessons. What happens when you are forced to make hard decisions in a hard situation? What happens when you strip everything down to brass tacks? It’s one thing to make hard decisions in an otherwise solid environment, but, when the ground is giving out beneath you and you have to act quickly to protect the business—hesitation could be the fatal blow, so you have no choice but to focus on what matters most.
In hindsight, what is something you wish you knew that could have helped you?
Earlier on in my career, I would have taken the longer road to communicate the point. Over time and through sustained experience in management, I see that great leaders get to the point via the most direct routes every time. To be effective consistently, there’s no time to waste beating around the bush.
What was the best advice you were given and when have you applied it?
One of the best pieces of advice I have received was when I was 22 and in my first job out of university as a business analyst in a strategic consulting division at Ernst & Young. One of the senior partners in the group held the spotlight whenever she walked into a room. I still remember she always wore beautiful suits with fantastic accessories. In my first-ever performance review, she gave me the advice: “Elaine, you need to learn how to ask for help”. I was taken aback; as a 22-year-old in a competitive role, the last thing I would have thought to do was ask for help.
Since those early days, I have applied this advice throughout my career. It reminds me to stay humble and recognise that humility is not the absence of confidence, but the acceptance that no one knows everything and asking for help reflects an inner strength for achieving your goals. Know what you know, and know what you don’t.
See also: Citizens of Humanity's Amy Williams on finding a career you love, and the constant quest for balance