My Power Move: Kate Morris
In this occasional series, we talk to women whose lives have been changed by a big career move taken at the right time. Kate Morris co-founded online beauty retailer Adore Beauty when she graduated from university. Two decades later, she decided to list the company she had built from scratch on the Australian Stock Exchange.
My big career power move was in my 40s
I listed Adore Beauty, the e-commerce business I co-founded 21 years ago, on the ASX. It was, and still is, the largest-ever Australian IPO with a woman founder and CEO.
It changed the trajectory of my life
In some ways it is the end of a journey, but also the start of a new one. It was a pretty incredible milestone for a business that was born in my garage! As a public company, it moves Adore Beauty, and me personally, firmly into the spotlight, which brings new opportunities and a new set of challenges.
How the opportunity came about
We had been building the business independently for many years, but the start of the process was when my co-founder and I decided to partner with Quadrant Private Equity in 2019, with the goal of working towards an IPO. With COVID-19 our business experienced huge growth and suddenly it was time. I didn’t expect to be doing an IPO completely, virtually, during a pandemic, but there we were, ringing a mini version of the ASX bell on Zoom!
A word of advice
I think it’s normal to feel scared when taking a big leap. My experience has been that there’s no way to get rid of that feeling other than to go for it and prove it to yourself. Personally, I’d rather not die wondering, “What if?”
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