DECIEM wins global Brandon Hall award with Thrive
DECIEM, the global beauty company behind cult brand The Ordinary, has won a Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award for its Senior Director Development Journey, designed and delivered in partnership with Thrive.
DECIEM has been recognised with a silver Brandon Hall award for Best Senior Manager Development Programme, celebrating the impact of its innovative Senior Director Development Journey.
The recognition comes at a pivotal moment for DECIEM. Following its acquisition by The Estée Lauder Companies, the business wanted to equip its senior directors - already strong functional leaders - to step up as enterprise leaders able to think strategically, lead through complexity, and collaborate across the business.
A new kind of leadership journey
The Senior Director Development Journey was built to do just that. Over six months, leaders took part in live virtual workshops on collaboration, decision-making, financial acumen and strategic thinking.
They explored curated learning pathways on Thrive, consuming content from sources like Harvard Business Review, TED and LinkedIn Learning.
Optional one-to-one coaching gave them space to apply new behaviours to their own leadership challenges, while structured conversation guides helped embed those lessons back into the flow of work.
The journey culminated in a graduation event celebrating behavioural change and progress. Senior directors earned digital badges, reflected on their growth, and nominated peers for awards in collaboration, communication and vision, embedding recognition and accountability as part of the experience.
Powered by Thrive, the journey blended live experiences with always-on access to learning. Leaders could explore curated pathways, dip into relevant resources, and share knowledge with peers, all in one place. The platform gave DECIEM the scale and flexibility to connect its global leaders, track engagement, and keep momentum high between workshops, making learning part of everyday work, not a one-off event.
Real impact, real change
The results spoke volumes. 100% of senior directors enrolled, with an average of 81% workshop participation. Thrive analytics showed over 450 pathway completions, with leaders spending on average three hours per month on self-paced learning.
Feedback was consistently strong, with participants rating satisfaction and application at 4.45 out of 5. Leaders reported sharper decision-making, stronger financial confidence, and greater collaboration across teams.
Perhaps most importantly, the programme built trust and connection among senior directors, strengthening relationships that are critical for DECIEM’s next stage of growth.
One participant reflected: “This gave me tools I use every day to collaborate better, think more strategically, and lead my team with confidence.” Another said: “Encouraging the discussions which are needed for alignment and focus.”
Mary Prioriello, Global Director, Learning and Development said: “We needed our leaders to grow fast, and this journey delivered. It gave them the skills, confidence and mindset to step up and make an impact across the whole business. Winning this award is recognition of that progress.”
Co-CEO at Thrive Cassie Gasson added: “DECIEM had a bold vision: to prepare its leaders for a bigger stage. By combining live experiences, personalised coaching and the always-on access of Thrive, they’ve built something modern, practical and genuinely transformative. It’s proof of what happens when ambitious brands invest in leadership the right way.”
The Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards are among the most prestigious honours in the learning and development industry.
Now in their 30th year, the awards recognise organisations around the world that have successfully developed and deployed programmes that deliver measurable results. Categories span learning, leadership development, talent management, and organisational development - celebrating the strategies and solutions that drive real business impact.
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Toronto, DECIEM is a vertically integrated beauty company best known for its science-backed skincare brand The Ordinary, as well as NIOD and other cult favourites.
With more than 1,500 employees and over 500 million products shipped to date, DECIEM has expanded across North America, Europe, APAC and EMEA, and continues to grow rapidly as part of The Estée Lauder Companies.
Together, DECIEM and Thrive are proving what’s possible when ambitious brands invest in their people. By combining DECIEM’s bold approach to leadership with Thrive’s modern learning platform, they created a programme that not only won global recognition but is already shaping the company’s next stage of growth.