Beauty and the business
Credit to Author: LEAH C. SALTERIO| Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2019 16:23:10 +0000
FROM the time she was young, Diana de la Paz Stalder, assistant vice president for operations of Diana Stalder by Dermaline Inc., was certain she wanted to play an integral role in her family’s aesthetics business. Upon entering college, she focused on a curriculum that would prepare her for that particular scenario.
After graduating with a pharmacy degree from Centro Escolar University, Diana went on to study various courses in beauty care, body massage, aromatherapy, and various laser types and treatments at the Beaulaz Training Institute in the United Kingdom.
In her role as AVP for operations, Diana is responsible for providing support, guidance and motivation to the staff, encouraging them to perform their best. She also monitors daily sales reports; attends to customer complaints promptly; and makes sure that procedures and services always adhere to the highest standards.
The most daunting aspect of the daily grind lies in the operations and the financial process. “It’s unavoidable in our industry,” she says.
Her most challenging task is how to handle her people fairly. “The toughest part of my job,” Diana says, “is to maintain the quality number of employees and…our clients.”
This may be her first job, but she enjoys it tremendously. Who wouldn’t if your mother, and founder of the enterprise, Dina de la Paz-Stalder, had been your guiding star way before you joined the team. “The only changes I needed to cope with was the fact that I had to make big decisions, which I knew could greatly affect the business,” she says.
Fortunately, the company’s research-based approach toward product development, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and facilities, well-trained and service-oriented team, quality-grade products, and elegant skincare centers have paved the way for Diana to represent it in the market with pride. This is an asset, especially in the cutthroat atmosphere that the beauty field projects at times.
Diana, however, remains unfazed by rivalry. “I really believe the beauty business is no different from any other business,” she declares. “Filipinos have very high standards of beauty, which just makes the beauty business more difficult to handle. Coping with competition is especially hard, but we continuously study the latest trends to keep up with our clientele’s demands, rather than our competitors.”
For more than two decades now, Diana Stalder by Dermaline, a division of Swisse-Phil Holdings Corp., has maintained a reputable status in the industry, backed by loyal clientele. The clinic has branches all over Metro Manila, including those in Alabang, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Manila and Antipolo. Besides high-quality products, such as soap, creams and lotions, the clinic also provides top-of-the-line services and medical procedures.
“Our company continues to research and study the latest trends in the market,” Diana says. “We also support our dedicated and passionate employees, who are rich in knowledge and experience in what we offer.”
The clinic, as well as the skin-care manufacturing company, takes pride in its CGMP certification that boasts of the Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.
Diana Stalder by Dermaline also houses a café that offers healthy food, like sandwiches and salads, that adhere to a specific calorie count. The servings can be combined with the treatments as they have the right amount of vegetables, protein and carbohydrates.
The right course
Although she had yearned to become an interior designer when she was in high school, Diana is now grateful for having chosen the right course in college. “My background in pharmacy has definitely helped me to understand our product formulations,” she says. “Since I was young, I’ve always wanted to be of help to our family business. I actually wanted to pursue a business-related course because that would come as a great help to my mom and our business.”
In addition to studying in the UK, Diana also went to Spain to study modern facial and body contouring procedures. Afterward, she traveled to Germany to study different machines to analyze the skin properly. She is now enrolled in a masters in entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University. “I would say that I’ve come closer to my ambition,” Diana says.
But it is Dina, Diana’s mom and mentor, whom the young professional is visibly in awe of. “From a small store to having our own manufacturing plant — I am merely an accessory to help her reach our ultimate goal.”
Managing her personal and professional time does not present too much of a issue, according to Diana, since the business has been inextricable part of her life since birth.
“Engaging in the digital process is important. Monitoring operations and reports online has made managing the company much easier, especially with everyone working together.”
The middle child of Christoph Patrick and Dina Stalder’s brood of three, Diana announces that she is “happily single.” Weekends are spent mostly with her family. To unwind, she loves listening to music, and watching TV series and films.
Her supreme objective is to operate a hundred clinics throughout the country and be a name to reckon with.
Ambitious? It’s all in a day’s work for Diana de la Paz Stalder.