Kiera Flynn’s background in biomedicine helped secure her a role in communications at L’Oreal
Kiera Flynn doesn’t have a hands-on tech gig, but as a biomedical scientist turned communications manager for high street beauty brand L’Oreal, she’s super-passionate about showing STEM grads all the exciting things they can do outside of academia – like work in beauty tech development.
“I didn’t think I had the tenacity to stick with research forever – and realised my passion was more in advocacy, than in the lab,” she says of her sudden career change. “But my success has come down to the fact that I think differently – thanks to my STEM-based learning background.”
Kiera started out championing the brand’s For Women in Science program part-time while doing her PhD, fell in love with the advocacy side of science, and now heads up a bunch of different external comms and strategy projects. She works closely with the IT and tech departments on communicating the exciting tech innovations coming out of the business.
“Our IT department has doubled in the last two years, and our digital – tripled,” she stresses. “They are seriously demanding fields and our business relies on them.”
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Kiera talks about the less-traditional L’Oreal employees, who are completely different to who they would have hired even five years ago! Data analysts, virtual reality specialists, eCommerce experts and supply chain heads drive everything from infrastructure to fulfilling consumer needs.
“Anyone highly functioning in tech, innovation and maths with a critical mindset is extremely valuable to the company. My STEM background has definitely helped.”
Kiera’s study and career pathway
- Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Deakin University
- Masters of Biomedical Science, Deakin University
- PhD in neurodegeneration, Deakin University
- Science tutor, Deakin University
- For Women in Science coordinator, L’Oreal
- Corporate communications manager, L’Oreal
Author: Cassie Steel
As Refraction’s digital editor, Cassie Steel spends her days researching robots and stalking famous scientists on Twitter.
