Sasha Radic: ‘Beauty is both high growth and resilient’

Can you tell us a little bit about your career so far? 

I am a managing director at Jefferies, spearheading our beauty and wellness practice. I’ve been in investment banking my entire career and couldn’t imagine a better way to enable and drive the growth in this industry. As such, it’s been my greatest privilege to work on some of the most incredible brands in the category, including Nutrafol, Charlotte Tilbury, HydraFacial, OUAI, Chantecaille, among many others.

How did your interest in the beauty industry begin? 

My first introduction to beauty was definitely as an avid consumer! I’ve loved this category my entire life, so to combine my skill-set in investment banking with an industry that I love is a dream come true. I think if you care deeply about the work that you do, you are relentless in your dedication, and you can see that passion reflected in the results you deliver for your clients.  

Why do you think the beauty and wellness industry is a great opportunity for investors right now? 

Investors love that the beauty and wellness space is both high growth and incredibly resilient, as consumers continue to invest in themselves in all market cycles. It is an industry driven by constant innovation, so there are many great opportunities to find companies that are differentiated in the market. 

Finally, these companies can feature highly attractive, profitable business models, if they are able to create high value relationships with consumers and efficiently scale distribution.

What’s your investment strategy within this sector? 

In my practice, I tend to work with brands after they’ve achieved a certain size and growth profile. However, I like to build relationships early and act as a sounding board for founders and management teams through all stages of their growth, and help them prepare themselves to go to market in a more seamless way.

What do you look for in a brand in order to pursue a working relationship?

I look for rapidly growing brands that are looking to pursue M&A or raise capital. I have been honoured to partner with some of the best entrepreneurs and operators in the category, and love that I can play a small role in helping them shape their legacies. 

In your opinion, what are the most important things that need addressing within beauty today? 

Beauty is a constantly evolving landscape and there are tremendous needs in the category that are being addressed in many different shapes and forms — inclusivity, sustainability and efficacy are all at the forefront of the industry today, and brands, retailers and consumers are all laser-focused on delivering change.