Estée Lauder Companies is thrilled to announce Makena Houston has been appointed as the company’s new PR assistant. Working Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Houston will be assisting public relations manager Jessica Carew across , , , , and .
To find out more, BD had a chat to Houston about her career background, what the new role involves and what she’s most excited about in regards to the position.
Can you tell us about your career background?
I started interning at a boutique PR agency, Lily and Louis PR, very early into my studies where I worked on fashion and beauty brands. Lily and Louis was an amazing company for my first experience and taster of PR. After 18 months, I was keen for a new challenge which resulted in an internship at Mango Communications. Mango is home to some global brands such as McDonalds, Nespresso and Fonterra, so quite a change of pace and completely different side to PR and corporate communications than I was used to but it was [an] amazing learning opportunity and a lot of fun. I was at Mango for nine months, during that time I graduated university with a Bachelor of Communications before starting my dream job here at Estée Lauder Companies. I was very lucky to gain so much experience while still studying.
What attracted you to the role at Estée Lauder Companies?
Being able to work on such amazing global brands within an industry I am passionate about. I have genuine interest in the beauty industry and am a true girly-girl at heart!
What does the position involve?
First and foremost I will be assisting Jess, the PR manager here. Also I will be liaising with media, bloggers and influencers sending them samples, images and any other product requests they have. The role also involves constantly scanning and clipping editorial and social mentions, providing event management support and assisting in the writing of press releases.
What excites you most about the role?
Working every day with such beautiful products, on events and with people who are all passionate about this industry.
