INTHEBLACK March 2025 - Magazine - Page 15
Stephanie Carroll CPA
is CFO of Adore Beauty,
which was listed on
the ASX in 2020.
Carroll adopted an
attitude of saying yes
and taking opportunities
as they arose.
Carroll’s next challenge
is expanding the online
business into physical
shopfronts.
MEET THE CFO
Growth
delivered
Stephanie Carroll CPA joined online beauty retailer Adore Beauty
as CFO months before the pandemic hit. One of her first tasks in the
role? Help take the business public. She explains the challenges that
arose, as well as what is next for the e-commerce beauty giant.
As told to Megan Breen
Photography Jarrod Barnes
MY ROLE
Macro and micro
I think the role of CFO gives you a
helicopter view of the whole business.
It’s a very privileged position to be in because
you are involved in decision-making and then
you see those decisions come to life.
The CFO needs to know the business
and be a key part of the management team.
Those decisions at Adore Beauty can
be as immediate as helping with what goes
onto the promotional calendar, to working
on an acquisition, doing the due diligence,
and seeing that come to fruition. In fact, we
recently acquired iKOU, an Australian beauty
and wellness brand, for A$25 million in an
all-cash deal. I was involved in the
due diligence process of the acquisition,
and it is rewarding to see that work
materialise.
On a larger scale, we’re expanding
into physical stores, which is a first for
Adore Beauty because we’ve been an
exclusively online business until now. It’s
an exciting development, and while I can’t
always share everything until it’s public,
it’s incredibly fulfilling to see these major
milestones come together and be able to talk
about them.
As a CFO in a listed company, the breadth
of the role ranges from market reporting,
understanding listing rules, working with
the board, shareholder engagement, financial
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