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Michel Dallemagne has done it with Dove, Sunsilk and TRESemme. Now the freshly minted C.E.O. is building a global brand for Lumene.

Michel makes it clear right off the bat. There are some must-get-rights of successful branding.

“A brand story has got to be emotionally appealing and intellectually convincing,” he says. “It will then, by definition, be unique and distinctive.”

There’d be much to chew in that alone, as we set out to prepare for the Executive Forum Luncheon on February 23 in Helsinki. But let’s not get stuck.

The cosmopolitan Belgian, commuting between Helsinki and London, can think of a number of companies that get the combo right.

“Aromazone, Dove, Charlotte Tilbury, Tesla, Nuxe, the new Kämp hotel, Olo,” he lists.

Michel Dallemagne has been around the block a few times himself. He was involved in launching the Dove, Sunsilk and TRESemme franchises into the global hair care market – worth 70 billion euros – and taking them, “against all odds,” to the number one position in the United States and Japan.

“The stories just tapped into fresh consumer insights that were until then unexploited but of universal value.”

The Lumene website highlights the beauty of Nordic women and the purest cosmetics ingredients on the face of the earth. Michel has been building that “hot, cool” story since September 2015 when he took the helm of the company.

“On arrival, I found lots of love but, frankly, also a lack of relevance at home. In addition, the commercial mix was ill-designed to travel. It required unpacking and rebuilding around a universal insight,” he explains.

“Luckily, Nordic, including Finnish values, are very much a global trend these days.”

In Michel Dallemagne’s book, an exciting brand creates an emotional bond, as it projects personality values that meet a group of consumers.

This is what the Amcham Executive Forum will get its head around at the next event. The goal is to analyse the ingredients of a successful brand regardless of industry or geography in great C-level company, of course. Michel Dallemagne’s remarks will be followed by comments from Antti Järvinen, the Country Manager for Google in Finland.