Janene Machado, CMP
Manager, Global Artist Training and Development
MAC Cosmetics
For pushing for risk management policies and procedures to protect her attendees and her company
Making Change
After the Paris attacks in November 2015, I realized that I needed an emergency plan in my professional and personal life. Unfortunately, these are the times we live in. I did some investigating and learned that Estée Lauder/MAC Cosmetics did not have a formal risk management plan for meetings/trainings/conferences.
Fast forward a few months … We hosted a training in Orlando, Fla., in June 2016 with about 800 employees from around the world. Our meeting was held a few miles from the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed and 53 wounded in a shooting on the Friday our conference ended. None of our attendees were there, but many had visited the club only days before. The tragedy gave me the impetus to keep pushing for a risk management plan, and now I had the executive buy-in I needed.
I started by doing research, creating forms and manuals, and collaborating with our parent company, Estée Lauder Companies. I was eager to become an expert. I started conversations with various departments, including ELC Security, ELC Global Travel and Meetings, and MAC Human Resources, and I participated in trainings and webinars to learn how the company can analyze and mitigate risks, and develop a crisis management plan for all trainings and meetings. Among the things I’m proud of is the resources we’ve created for our occasional meeting planners. As with many corporations, we have many administrative assistants and others around the company who plan global meetings and events (most with high-level executives). ELC Global Travel and Meetings and I recognized that there was a need for a simplified version of the risk management tools that would set them up for success. Together we created an easy-to-use risk management checklist that will be rolled out to all of ELC’s 29 brands by June 2017 and will be accessible through our internal ELC Global Travel and Meetings portal.
The next step for me is to continue my education—I’ve enrolled in the Association of Destination Management Executives International’s Emergency Preparedness Certificate Program—and to host informational meetings with fellow MAC planners to discuss the importance of risk management.
What’s Next?
Next up for MAC Cosmetics meetings and trainings is incorporating technology to create meaningful, personalized, and effective meetings. Our goal is to move some live meetings to a virtual platform to increase our global reach while keeping costs low. There are so many directions to explore: video live streaming, webinar platforms, social media, meeting apps/sites, chatbots, and the list goes on. What do meetings and trainings look like at MAC Cosmetics in the future? I am excited for the endless possibilities.
Managing Change
Keep calm and never give up! Managing change and managing people’s fear of change can be difficult. Instead of focusing on fear, focus on the value of the change and the great things you will achieve.
Thinking Differently
I am always curious…I think it is fun to create challenges for myself. I always look to stay ahead of new trends. Naturally I am always looking for ways to improve processes. Both my mom and dad would try to take credit for that.
Got a Spare Hour?
I have the most amazing and supportive friends and family. I look to spend time with them during any downtime I get—preferably on a tropical island or Ireland.
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