Role Call | Mark Lapicki, Head of Omnichannel Innovation

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LONDON, United Kindom — Mark Lapicki joined Estée Lauder Companies in 2001 after graduating with a degree in computer science at the University of Portsmouth. Over the next 14 years, Lapicki rose up the internal ranks of the company from his first position as analyst programmer to head of engineering, a title he held for four years, before his appointment as online production and operations manager for the UK and EMEA. Lapicki was appointed head of omnichannel innovation at Estée Lauder Companies in December 2014.

BoF: Please describe your current role.

I am the head of omnichannel innovation at Estée Lauder Companies UK and Ireland. My job is to set up and manage a pipeline of innovation, so that ideas are generated, both inside and outside of our organisation, and initiatives are subsequently launched across our channels. We use hardware, software and a scientific approach in order to turn those ideas into a large-scale reality. I have a broad view across a multitude of systems, which helps me to connect the right dots, or build new dots.

BoF: What attracted you to the role?

Some of our initiatives push the frontiers of technology, which is always an exciting place to be. It’s the mix of variety and opportunity, which reduces traditional pressures that can lead to poor decisions, that for me, defines this role as unique and one of the best examples of an in-house innovation team. We have a strong ‘test and learn’ culture and we are all about getting trials to market and into the hands of our consumers as early as possible, so we can begin to measure it against the success criteria we’ve defined. We’re working in a culture that understands not every trial will be a game-changer, but nor does it need to be.

BoF: What is the most exciting project or initiative you have worked on?

In 2010, I looked after online production in the UK. We spotted a small but fast growing trend towards consumers viewing our websites via mobile, so we looked at the architecture, at the data, and at what people were doing on the sites, and we said ‘this doesn’t need to be complicated.’ That approach set a precedent for our mobile direction that saw us enable mobile commerce across our entire portfolio in an incredibly short period of time. Just a week later, we launched m.bobbibrown.co.uk. We delivered something that was right for our consumers, in a sustainable and manageable way.

BoF: How is your role changing? What are the forces driving that change?

The retail playground is changing and that change is shaped not at a macro level, but rather, by the distinctive shopping experience wanted by consumers of different ages and ethnicities. Understanding those microscopic changes and being able to leverage data to help us do so is, ultimately, the driving force. Our methods of execution are inspired by consumers and influenced by technology. One of the hardest parts of the role is to keep an eye on the horizon for successful new-to-market ideas and being able to connect the dots, to determine whether something is a threat or an engine for growth.

BoF: Tell us about a time you failed and how you learned from it.

Within our culture of innovation, learning is at the heart of our mission and some lessons have to be learnt by failure. I recently gave a live demo of an idea to an audience using a quickly assembled prototype. We hadn’t soldered any of the connections and whilst I was unpacking, one of the switches had fallen out. The switch was 3mm wide and black, and it had fallen onto a black floor. As the guests begin to assemble, I was frantically rewiring the system to account for the missing switch. I vowed never to do live demos again and always video a prototype instead.

BoF: What advice do you have for people who are interested in doing what you do?

Be comfortable with technology and understand how it works, so that you can make your technology invisible and create a sense of ‘retail magic.’ Trials can often be put together for very little money if you know what you’re doing. Be comfortable with people and understand how to inspire and lead. In line with that, have a clear vision that people can get behind. Lastly, be comfortable with who your consumers are and get to understand what they like and what they want.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.