EP157: Beauty & The Data Beast: Consumer Obsession Meets AI

What does it really mean to be consumer-obsessed, and how is AI changing the face of the beauty industry? 

In this episode, Tessa Burg and Irina Kulikova—VP, Strategic Development & Integration at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.—explore the intersection of consumer insights, brand experience and emerging technology. The two discuss how store beauty advisors must now compete with AI, the magic of “small data” and Gen Z’s AI shopping revolution. 

Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. 

About Irina Kulikova:

Irina Kulikova is the Vice President of Strategic Development and Integration and Chief of Staff to the President of the EUKEM region (Europe, UK & Ireland, and Emerging Markets) at The Estée Lauder Companies. As a member of the regional management team, she shapes the strategic direction of more than 85 markets and over 20 iconic brands.

In her role, Irina leads regional strategy development and execution, market intelligence, consumer insights, strategic pricing, and large-scale transformation initiatives. She also drives key corporate development priorities, including operating model evolution, new market and channel entry, brand integration, and expansion into emerging geographies.

Before joining The Estée Lauder Companies, Irina spent more than a decade at Bain & Company across the UK, Middle East, and Russia, advising leading global players in luxury, beauty, jewelry, fashion, and retail. Her experience at the intersection of strategy, brand building, and transformation has given her a deep understanding of how to unlock growth and resilience in the luxury and beauty industries both in developed and emerging markets.

Irina holds an MBA from INSEAD. She can be reached on LinkedIn. 

About Tessa Burg:

Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].