lululemon

COMPANY BACKGROUND

lululemon’s purpose - to elevate the world by realizing the full potential within every one of us - is as dynamic as the company’s history and current momentum. 

Founded in Vancouver in 1998 with the intent to bring technical athletic fabrics to yoga, lululemon’s first office was a product design studio by day turned yoga studio at night.  What was then a very practical solution to paying the rent has ultimately come to define what differentiates lululemon.  What has made the company wildly successful has been its steadfast focus on empowering its stores to become community hubs for lululemon’s consumers (Guests) to live the Sweatlife—a combination of sweating, growing and connecting together—as well as participate in lululemon sweaty activities. 

Today, lululemon is a publicly traded (LULU) $9.6B global business with more than 30,000+ employees and 710+ stores across four continents and 25 regions.  lululemon’s products include Performance Apparel for women and men (pants, shorts, tops, jackets) for healthy activities such as yoga, running, training, and most other sweaty pursuits, Casual Apparel (formerly On The Move) for women and men (RTW tops, bottoms, outerwear, knits and wovens), Accessories (bags, socks, underwear, yoga mats/equipment, and water bottles), and most recently, footwear. 

The power of our brand translated to growth across regions in 2023, with revenue in the Americas increasing 12%, China Mainland up 67%, and other international markets combined growing 43%, compared to 2022. We have an impressive funnel of innovation, our opportunity to increase our brand awareness remains significant, and we will continue to grow and optimize our store base both within the Americas and around the world.

Our Essentials membership program in North America has grown to more than 17 million members in the first year, and we were proud to see the China Mainland business approach the $1B mark in 2023, as the region celebrated their 10-year anniversary. In 2023, we entered new markets in EMEA and APAC, and ended FY23 with 711 company-operated stores worldwide, adding 56 net new lululemon stores since Q4 of 2022.

In the first quarter of 2024, net revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion and diluted earnings per share increased 11% versus last year to $2.54. Across International, our business remained strong with revenue in China Mainland up 52%, and rest of world growing a combined 30%. In the Americas, revenue increased 4%, with Canada up 12% and the US up 2%, compared to Q1 FY23.

Power of Three x2 / Calvin McDonald (CEO), the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Board remain committed to growth. We recently announced our next five-year growth plan, which builds upon the success of the Power of Three. Our plan calls for doubling our Men’s business while delivering double-digit growth in Women’s, doubling our digital business while also achieving double-digit growth in stores, and quadrupling our international business. And we intend to double our total revenue – from $6.25B to $12.5B – by the end of 2026, with an annual EPS growth greater than sales growth.

Inclusion & Diversity / lululemon has made a series of commitments to ensure the company fully reflects the communities it serves and has established its IDEA team, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action. The company stands with employees, ambassadors and guests around the world who have been deeply impacted by the acts of violence, xenophobia and racism. Through commitment from the senior leadership team, dedicated resources, company-wide impact, sustainable HR programs, in-depth reviews and real accountability, the organization is focused on driving positive change in its communities every day. 

Impact / lululemon advanced an Impact Agenda and multi-year commitments to drive meaningful, positive change in the world, grounded in the belief that everyone has the right to be well and that the wellbeing of people and the planet are deeply interconnected. lululemon made inspiring progress across our three core pillars—Be Human, Be Well, and Be Planet—addressing pressing social and environmental issues that impact our people, communities, and the planet.

TITLE

Vice President, People & Culture, China 

LOCATION

The Vice President, People & Culture (P&C), China will be based in Shanghai.

The Secret to Success at lululemon

People are what fuel the success of lululemon’s business and brand – and the company believes that when its people grow, its business grows, and that’s why its leaders’ number one job is to develop their talent. From day one, lululemon has placed a significant emphasis on leadership development, and it knows that "when life works, work works."

The Role

The VP, P&C China will lead the development & implementation of the China talent strategy in the region as part of the China Leadership Team and a key member of the global People & Culture Leadership Team. Within your role, you will foster an inclusive workplace culture in alignment with our values and enterprise business strategy.

This role will play a crucial part in shaping and implementing P&C strategies that enable the company's growth and success in the China market, elevating our Store and Store Support Center (SSC) teams through a People-First Approach that Truly Puts the Educator at the Heart of all strategy & decisions. This VP will also be responsible for the establishment and optimization of policies and systems, budget planning, and medium-to-long term planning for P&C China.

This role will be the main P&C partner for the leader of our China market, SVP, China, and will also oversee all of the regional P&C functions including: business partnering, talent acquisition, health & wealth, talent activation, and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action).

The ideal candidate will be both an Inspirational Leader & Collaborator – who will inspire & connect our Leaders and People & Culture team to the success of our business.

REPORTING STRUCTURE

Reporting + Direct Reports: The role will oversee a team of 30+ FTEs within the China P&C team including Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, Health & Wealth (Compensation, Benefits, Mobility), IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action), and Talent Activation (Learning & Talent Management).

Peer Relationships: The VP, P&C China will sit on the People & Culture Leadership Team and China Leadership Team. On the P&C Leadership Team, this VP work closely with all of its members including Head of Health & Wealth, Head of P&C Analytics, Head of Talent Acquisition, Head of Learning, Leadership & Talent Activation, Head of IDEA, Employee Relations & Compliance, and each functional and regional Head of P&C Business Partnering. On the China Leadership team, this VP will work closely with the Regional Head of Brand Marketing & Community, Head of eCommerce, Head of Retail, Head of Business Planning & Operations, and Head of Merchandise Planning & Allocations.

OVERSIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITIES

·       Lead and develop an experienced People & Culture team as well as providing support and guidance across the People & Culture leadership team

·       As an innovator and leader in the field you drive results towards the five-year plan in support of the organizational goals

·       Strong leadership skills with an ability to bring together diverse perspectives to co-create

·       Influence and coach team members on key P&C and business issues as well as how to attract, select, develop, manage, and retain the best talent to drive results

·       Develop talent strategies for the China leadership team and confidently present at executive level meetings. Develop a strong succession pipeline strategy for the growing China team

·       Provide insights and feedback to People & Culture Centers of Excellence (COEs) (For example: Talent Activation, Talent Acquisition):

        - Represent voice of the business to P&C leaders and voice of P&C to the business.

        - Act as the key business and P&C intermediary, translating business strategy to inform P&C and P&C strategy to inform the business

·       Speak the language of the business; understand its products, services, business models, market trends, financial drivers, measures and strategies; and know how these create competitive advantage

·       Leverage deep business understanding to identify issues, diagnose root causes, provide insights, offer recommendations and develop proactive solutions to solve pressing business objectives through a talent lens, such as productivity, engagement, skill development, attraction, and retention & recognition.

·       Leverage COE talent frameworks to develop proactive talent management solutions including; workforce planning & org design, succession planning, performance management, talent attraction & acquisition, diversity & inclusion, and health & wealth that includes compensation, mobility, benefits.

·       Monitor core cultural metrics and indicators to ensure core behaviors and mindsets are embodied and actively fostered by leaders

·       Proactively anticipate, lead, champion, and sponsor significant transformational initiatives to enable and/or implement sustainable change and drive business results

·       Drive the right level of localization of program, policy and process application, achieving the delicate balance between business needs and enterprise efficiency

The VP, P&C China will not be responsible for, but will actively partner with those who oversee:

·       People & Culture for markets outside of China, including APAC and EMEA

·       Global People & Culture Center of Excellence Strategy including workforce planning & org design, succession planning, performance management, talent attraction & acquisition, diversity & inclusion, and health & wealth that includes compensation, mobility, benefits.

YEAR ONE DELIVERABLES Desired achievements in first 12-months in the role.  (in priority)

Onboard Thoughtfully.  Listen + Learn from lululemon’s culture.  Build relationships within Retail and with cross-functional partners. Understand the why behind our current operations to inform our future.

First, listen, update & develop a Vision & Strategy that defines People & Culture Excellence in China. This Vision & Strategy will put our Employees at the heart of everything we do. This Strategy will have clear intentions & articulations that enable the growth of our China market. This will include our ability to attract and retain talent for both our growing retail & SSC populations. It will include a strategic engagement & learning journeys that enable to success & growth of our people.

Second, Build & Execute a 3–5-Year Roadmap that enables the Vision & Strategy. Lead the People & Culture annual budgeting cycling that will enable foundational investments that brings the strategy & roadmap to life.  This process includes leading annual budgeting for current & future focused investments.

Streamlined Operational Complexities that supports a high growth mindset for the region.  Leaning into a holistic experience that provide a best-in-class experiences for our employees in China that streamlines tasks that do not bring value to our teams. Through this work, you will enable an entrepreneurial culture across the P&C team that balances growth & business enablement.

Build cross functional relationships across the Global People & Culture team and the China Leadership Tean. Listen & collaborate with key stakeholders and cross functional partners. Enable proactive program planning & communication.

CRITICAL SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

Strategic Thinking

Inclusive Leadership // Leading People

Collaboration & Influencing

Driving Results // Operator

Agility

CANDIDATE CRITERIA – “Must-Haves”

An Expert in People & Culture Strategy. You have meaningful experience in leading & overseeing a People & Culture function at a similar scale to lululemon’s China business (~$1B USD). This includes expertise in developing & implementing talent strategies across a distributed workforce that enable the success of our business through our people.

A Deep Understanding of the China Market. You have spent meaningful time leading People & Culture functions in China. You have a depth of knowledge in the regulations, legislation, and needs of people in China and how these needs are evolving. Through this knowledge you are able to support our leaders in building the right talent strategy specific to lululemon and will drive the China business forward.

Already a Proven + Gifted Leader of teams + businesses.   15+ years of experience leading teams.

Prioritizes the Employee Experience through People First Programs. You have demonstrated experience in building programs that put employees at the center. You naturally take a people-first approach that results in increased efficiency & profitability.