Nirav Mehta

Nirav Mehta's path to the upper echelons of global procurement began on a factory floor. 

Now serving as Vice President, Global Direct Procurement at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), his journey spans more than two decades in the beauty industry.

"I always enjoyed being in leadership roles and used to fancy becoming a leader in an industrial role," reflects Nirav. This early ambition led to him studying mechanical engineering before entering manufacturing.

His professional career began at Coty, another global beauty company, where he spent his first eight years in manufacturing roles. From automation engineer to plant manager, Nirav gained valuable expertise in lean manufacturing principles and team transformation.

Building expertise across beauty giants

The foundation proved invaluable as Nirav expanded into packaging engineering and development at Coty's New York headquarters. He partnered with R&D and marketing teams to launch blockbuster brands before developing global external manufacturing operations.

His procurement expertise then took him to Avon and L'Oréal before joining Edgewell Personal Care in 2015. Starting as Head of Global Direct Procurement, Nirav was promoted to VP and CPO after transforming the function.

His final role with Edgewell saw him become SVP of Global Supply Chain and Procurement, overseeing integrated business planning and network optimisation.

In 2022, Nirav joined ELC with a clear transformation brief. His mandate involves transforming supplier partnerships and delivering step-change improvements in cost of goods and supply chain resilience.

"One of the greatest things is that I get to connect with and learn from people from all different backgrounds and walks of life across the world," enthuses Nirav.  

"I get to travel quite a bit and experience the culture in person, which is very exciting to me.”

Navigating uncertainty and the AI revolution

Procurement sits at the heart of ELC's Beauty Reimagined transformation journey, giving Nirav an opportunity to make a direct impact on company performance.

However, he highlights that the discipline is facing a series of unprecedented challenges, with external uncertainty dominating his concerns.

"The impact of geopolitics, trade policies and the kinds of supply chain disruptions the world has faced in the last five years or so – that remains the biggest challenge,” he says. 

However, Nirav views AI as exciting, rather than a threat. He believes its promise lies in transformation speed across procurement functions and broader business operations.

He adds: “It’s going to be imperative for leaders to embrace the advent of AI and create a hybrid human-plus-AI model that can really help deliver greater value to customers.”

Leadership through accountability

Nirav’s leadership philosophy is centred on building a culture of accountability and ownership. He focuses on clear expectation-setting and involving teams in critical decision-making processes.

"I really like to measure progress against clear KPIs and provide continuous feedback to my team," Nirav explains. "Doing this really helps me instil that culture of accountability with the team."

His approach extends beyond traditional management to emotional intelligence. Understanding team motivations and fostering personal and professional growth remains central to his leadership style, while consumer-centricity drives his decision-making framework.

From manufacturing through to procurement, Nirav applies a "design to consumer value" approach, reverse-engineering products against competitors to maximise genuine value.

He concludes: "Real leadership means taking ownership and accountability to drive the change you wish to see in the world.”

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