Through the Red Door with Audrey Hart – an Elizabeth Arden column

Born in 1881, Elizabeth Arden was a woman way ahead of her time. Fascinated by skincare from a young age, she went on to pioneer the international beauty industry with many firsts including travel-sized products and the cult Eight Hour Cream.

An ardent suffragette, legendary innovator and tireless entrepreneur, Elizabeth Arden was an early example of the ability of women to achieve success against the odds.

In a male-dominated era, she created a global empire with her famous Red Door Salons. Her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation, quality and excellence remain the soul of the company today.

In the spirit of Elizabeth Arden, this column sets out to recognise the women in our industry whose personal and professional stories make them deserving of industry recognition.

Virgin Atlantic Senior Manager – Inflight Services Food, Beverage & Ancillaries Audrey Hart

Introduction: Audrey Hart grew up on the mountainous Mediterranean island of Corsica, which has been part of France since 1768. As a multi-lingual teenager, she had her sights set on joining the Peace Corps but a love of travel – and travel retail – changed that career path.

The Moodie Davitt Report’s Associate Editor Colleen Morgan* talks with this adventure-loving executive who juggles a demanding job with a busy family life and a rather unusual “hobby”, all underlining her determination to live life to its fullest.

Let’s start at the beginning, with your childhood and aspirations.

I was born on the beautiful and wild island of Corsica, the eldest of three daughters. My parents have deep Corsican roots, and I was brought up in a multi-generational, bi-lingual (Corsican and French) matriarchy. This very much forged a strong sense of independence and that anything was possible so long as I put my mind to it.

My name, of course, is neither Corsican nor French. My mother named me after the legendary British actress Audrey Hepburn, whose elegance and beauty she loved. Rather a hard name to live up to!

With my European background I have a natural interest in anything worldly and that I believe comes through in both my professional and personal life. I have always liked the idea of a global citizenship, based on a love of food, culture, languages and people.

My love of languages developed from an early age. I grew up speaking Corsican and French and by the time I was 18 was also fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and with good command of Russian, which I learned through evening classes.

All my schooling was on Corsica until I left the island at the age of 18 and headed to England to study International Relations and Politics at the Guildhall University in London. I was very fortunate to be able to study in Madrid and Stockholm through exchange programmes. I finessed my Spanish and learnt a new language, Swedish.

From an early age I knew what I wanted to do, and that was to do good in the world, help the needy and leave a positive legacy. I hoped to join an NGO or the Peace Corps.

And did you?

The Peace Corps remained my target as I finished my degree and continued my studies with a Master of Philosophy in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. To fund my studies, I joined Monarch Airways as international cabin crew. This afforded me time to write my thesis while discovering the world.

At Monarch I had my first opportunity to engage with the world of travel retail. And I fell hook, line and sinker in love with the travel industry. Five years of flying later my first daughter came along. I knew then that I needed to realign my work commitments to be more present.

I wanted to remain in the industry but in a management/executive position.

And that led you to Virgin Atlantic?

No, not directly. I wanted to hone my business management skills and joined the International Corporate Governance Network as Head of Membership and Administration. That was another blessing in my career. I was in the right place at exactly the right time as it led to extensive global connections, and I began to realise just how much energy I get from working with global stakeholders.

I had the chance to act up into the Chief Operating Officer role for two years and thoroughly enjoyed working with empowering women who were at the helm of the business. I unlocked so much of my learning. However, I knew I was something of a big fish in a small pond. And I wanted more.

So, you returned to inflight business?

Yes, that was when I joined Virgin Atlantic in 2014. I first led the Inflight Services Operations Delivery team before moving into a more commercial role as Supplier Relationship Senior Manager. As part of that role, I led the strategy of inflight ancillaries programmes including duty-free retail, chauffeur car, merchandise and brand partnerships.

Then the pandemic hit and turned everything on its head.

I was blessed. I continued to work full-time, keeping core operations going and constantly evolving through the changes of the pandemic. Every day was a rollercoaster, with all flights grounded, new rules made. It was a very eerie time.

But again, it was a time of a huge amount of learning, understanding resilience and caring for staff members remotely. And then the joy of it all coming back together again.

My role changed to Senior Manager – F&B and Ancillaries, Inflight Services. It’s a wonderful remit, following the customer’s onboard experiences, bringing connections and cohesion, and I’m blessed (yet again) with a remarkable, all-women team. They are knowledgeable, pragmatic and passionate. I could not wish for more. I, and they, take nothing for granted.

Tell us about the importance of hands-on management.

I believe that to be a credible, respected and authentic leader you have to be willing to roll your sleeves up, be clear and consistent, be fair, give strong direction and involve your people early when driving big change. You need to truly know your people and what makes them tick and be passionate about your purpose.

I used to struggle delegating work as I used to be conditioned to think that multi-tasking was a strength. But my perspective changed, and I take every opportunity available to empower my team. This is truly based on utmost trust and respect.

Do you have time to take a break at work?
Not often! At work we set up a Ministry of Fun, which, with a little bit of self-discipline, means that we step away from the desks and get together at least once a month.

The next Ministry of Fun centres on a breezy walk through the South Downs. I’m looking forward to that, and the visit to the little pub at the end of it!

And time management?

While I am invariably very busy at work, I also have a busy family life, sharing four children with my husband Daniel. It’s a case of ‘mine, his and ours’ ranging in age from 17 to nearly 17 months. It’s beautiful chaos and I have to shoehorn it all to fit it all in.

Sometimes that’s difficult but I manage because I am determined to live life to the fullest.

I imagine that means not a lot of time for holidays and personal pursuits then.

On the contrary. We make time for holidays, and I am also part of an adrenaline adventure group, the Virgin Adventurers, with a ‘Have Fun and Do Good’ motto. With colleagues from Virgin Atlantic, we embark on adventures which inevitably test us physically but there is always a charity element as well. Through that I have driven tuk tuks across Rajasthan, sailed in the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, climbed Mount Fuji, walked the Alps from France to Switzerland, cycled the Masai Mara, all while supporting great charities including many that are close to my heart.

My husband and I hope to take part in our next adventure in 2025 to ancient Petra. Huge favours from grandparents permitting, of course!

I believe there is also another side to Audrey Hart which has nothing to do with flying, family and adventures and more to do with a sweet tooth?

Yes, you’re right. I run a small home bakery. That started as a hobby in 2013, when I was asked to contribute to a Monday ‘Sticky Buns’ event at my daughter’s school. It was rather frowned upon to offer ready-made cakes, so I made some cupcakes.

They proved to be very popular and led to people asking me to make their christening, birthday and even wedding cakes. I love it, not just the creative part but also that I become somehow part of people’s life stories and bring happiness. I really like that, and the fact that my older daughters have taken an interest, and their creativity is taking it all to another level. And we get to spend quality mother-daughter time.

It’s a lot of fun but it also takes time as I need to pace my commitments. That said, rather like London busses, all the orders and different work-related things seem to come at the same time.

When you live with passion, whatever you do fills your heart; it’s never tedious. You have to be passionate about what you do, then there is nothing that is too much to handle.

I do look forward to spa days, though. They help as well!

*This article first appeared in The Moodie Davitt eZine. Click here for that version. ✈

Elizabeth Arden will supply each of the remarkable women who takes part in our Through the Red Door series with a special gift box which will include: