Meet the team

Heidi is Founder and Managing Director of Arthur Edward. She has worked in FMCG recruitment since 1998 and exclusively within the cosmetic and personal care industry since founding Arthur Edward in 2002.

She now focuses on the strategic direction of the business, with a strong emphasis on business planning, financial management and long‑term growth.

A total product junkie, Heidi spent 15 years in beauty and skincare product development, sales and marketing positions for manufacturers and brand owners. In her sales career she specialised in selling branded and own label products into the global grocery, health & beauty, and department store sectors.

Initially trained in Hair and Beauty, she won the student of the year award at the London College of Fashion in 1984 and then went on to win the 1988 London Livewire Business competition and secure 3i investment for a small manufacturing operation that she had literally set up at the kitchen sink.

Heidi is an active member of a number of industry associations:

The Society of Cosmetic Scientists promotes education, research and collaboration to advance the science of cosmetics. Heidi is a past Social Secretary of the SCS, and now sits on the Wales & West Committee. If you want a party organising, Heidi’s your woman!

The British Society of Perfumers promotes the interests of perfumers, and those working within or affiliated to the fragrance industry. The BSP aims to improve the status of perfumers by seeking wider recognition of perfumery as a profession.

Cosmetic Executive Women brings the beauty industry together to move beauty forward. CEW lead the conversation, nurture careers, recognise brilliance and shape the future of beauty.

Heidi is equally happy sipping champagne and playing with make-up, or getting covered in mud on a dog walk or at the side of a rugby pitch.

Ana Filipa is Recruitment Director at Arthur Edward. She leads our talented team of recruitment specialists, dedicated to connecting exceptional people with outstanding opportunities in the Beauty, Cosmetics and Personal Care industry.

Ana Filipa has specialised in executive search, selection and recruitment within this sector since 2015.

After graduating with a MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences Ana Filipa spent 6 years’ working as a Pharmacist within a luxury Lisbon Pharmacy, introducing her to many of the world’s leading brands and developing her keen interest in skin care, hair care and make-up.

Her scientific background and quest for knowledge has helped her deep understanding of the processes and roles within the cosmetic industry, especially the technical, scientific, research, development, quality and regulatory areas.

Ana Filipa is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists and British Society of Perfumers and the driving force behind our senior management team.

She is our Portuguese Fashionista, our Technical Brains who loves Octopus and Pastéis de Nata, she will answer to Ana or Ana Filipa but we all call her Fili.

Joe is our rugby‑loving IT genius, who leads on Sales and Operations recruitment, combining his people skills with an understanding of how teams work.

He’s a real people person and enjoys attending all the industry trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences, and being Dad to two young boys keeps him busy at home too.

Joe has worked at Arthur Edward since 2016 and is proud to be the youngest ever member of the British Society of Perfumers and the Society of Cosmetic Scientists.

Joe has received several Community Champion awards for his fundraising efforts for the Look Good Feel Better charity. He loves rugby, especially if he scores the winning try, but after two shoulder repair operations he prefers coaching to playing!

Emily inherited a fascination for skincare from her mother, who worked in and loved the industry. Inspired by its continuous evolution, Emily studied beauty therapy at college and is now qualified in advanced facials.

Her go-to brands are Estee Lauder, Inkey List and La Roche Posay, but Emily never misses a chance to try the latest launch. With hands-on experience behind the makeup counter, she recognises the industry’s enormous opportunities for people to grow and develop.

Moving from Sales to Recruitment nine years ago, Emily specialises in Marketing and Digital roles. With in-depth knowledge of the sector, she recruits for brands and businesses of all sizes, from multinationals to startups, and across the full marketing mix; social media, influencers and affiliates, content and creative, SEO and PPC, strategy, CRM and much, much more.

Emily’s ambition was to find an opportunity to combine her skills and her passions. Enter Arthur Edward, the recruitment agency dedicated to the Beauty and Personal Care industry. As parent to a young child, Emily also appreciates Arthur Edward’s flexible, supportive approach to employment.

Outside of work, Emily is into fitness and having fun with family and friends, making memories with her son Leo.

Raelene specialises in the Technical sector, partnering with professionals across formulation, R&D, compliance and quality to help them grow their careers globally.

Raelene’s career in recruitment started by chance 15 years ago, when she impressed a recruitment agency so much that they asked her to work for them! She thrives on the fast pace of recruitment life, building relationships with diverse people around the globe, and helping them to develop their careers.

Raelene was drawn to Arthur Edward by the warmth and friendly energy of the team. After working in health sector recruitment, to she is excited to specialise in the beauty and personal care industry.

Raelene works with the Arthur Edward team from her home in Durban, in South Africa where she enjoys the outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

A curly hair enthusiast, Raelene loves discovering new products to keep her hair healthy.

James joined Arthur Edward from retail, where he quickly progressed to managing a large team across multiple functions and departments. The aspect he most enjoyed was building relationships and providing support to both staff and customers, making him the perfect fit for his role here at Arthur Edward.

Taking his career in a new direction, James finds recruitment and Arthur Edward’s tight-knit team an appealing contrast to his work in retail. The opportunity to help tackle the stigma around males within the beauty industry further attracts him; with his interest in a variety of music genres and artists, such as Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Yachty and Harry Styles breaking that barrier.

Away from work, James’ love of music plays a large part of his personal life. He produces music and attempts to learn instruments to help expand his knowledge. He loves American Football and basketball, and finds joy in going to the gym and bettering himself as a person.

Naomi spent over 20 years in beauty brand sales & marketing, most recently specialising in the haircare category.

Her career began in retail, on the fast-track management scheme of a UK department store group. Gaining experience in many departments, Naomi knew she had found her career home when she arrived on the beauty floor. Having completed the scheme in record time, she spent several years as Beauty Buyer in the group’s flagship, Oxford Street store.

During the next 20+ years, Naomi progressed to senior roles in sales, marketing and product development in the UK and France, with beauty companies of all sizes, from major multinationals to indie start-ups.

Merlot is our gorgeous Office Dog. He reminds us that there is always time to have fun, eat treats and chase cats… He is a proud English Pointer that loves to run and play with anyone who has the time. Merlot is based in our Ruscombe office, where he mainly sleeps on the job.

Paul is our amazing photographer and has been responsible for all of Heidi’s product and people shoots for the last 30 years. He is a talented chap and manages to get the best out of all commercial work be that cosmetic products and packaging, cars, people or buildings. Paul is great fun to work with, he loves shooting with the team at Arthur Edward, has a real talent for underwater photography and coaching either individuals or university undergraduates.

Check out Paul’s web site.

Simon is our talented Designer who is suitably proud of the Arthur Edward brand identity and our annual Salary Survey & Industry Report. If you like what he has done, get in touch directly with him at Sly Design.