WoW Woman in Beauty Tech I Miranda Mathews, Managing Director for Treatwell UK and Ireland

Miranda Mathews is the Managing Director for Treatwell UK and Ireland - Europe’s leading beauty bookings platform. She joined the business in May 2021 with the task of making Treatwell the leading software-enabled marketplace business. Over the last decade, Miranda has led technology organisations from ideation through to a global scale. She has specialised in Sales, Market Expansion, and Operations, and held various leadership roles. Her passions lie in mentoring young women and supporting small businesses.

Treatwell is Europe's leading marketplace and SaaS dedicated to the beauty and wellness world. With Treatwell, users can book their beauty appointments in just a few clicks at any time, and hairdressers, beauticians, and personal care professionals can manage their salon activities thanks to a digital diary and cloud-based management software. Treatwell merged with Uala in 2022: the Anglo-Italian group employs more than 750 people and has a widespread presence in 13 European countries where it manages around 100 million appointments each year and provides management software to more than 45,000 partner salons.

Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far. 

I am originally from Toronto, Canada, and come from a hospitality background primarily, working in businesses of varying sizes from global giant AB InBev to bootstrapped start-up, Ritual. In my spare time, I’m passionate about mentorship whether that be as a Big Sister, in Big Brothers Big Sisters, or joining University business classes as a guest speaker. 

How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges? 

I did always want to move into the beauty space, as I do love and spend in this sector as a consumer would. I’m also an avid Treatwell user myself. Manicures, pedicures, and facials, you name it and I’m booking. From my own experiences with booking beauty appointments, I could see where I could make meaningful changes and improve both the partner and user experience. 

Beauty is one of the last sectors to take on digitalisation, but that is also super exciting to be a part of the beginning of something that has a purpose. In terms of challenges, like joining any new industry, there was a learning curve but I pride myself on getting into the details with our team, partners, and users to understand things inside and out. 

How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in? 

I have been quite deliberate about my professional career. Since I started working at 16, I was driven to learn and master everything I did while often prioritising work over my personal life, and remained dedicated to my mission at the time. 

 It’s difficult to pinpoint one big obstacle but as with anything worthwhile, the hard work was not always ‘sexy’. Spending 5+ years travelling to expand Ritual globally was an incredible journey but as you can imagine, living out of a suitcase and away from home was difficult.   

 In terms of challenges within the beauty industry now…or any industry really, it’s learning how important it is to execute the basics and not get distracted or sidetracked by new and exciting things; to focus on the foundations. As a company, we have gone through many changes over the years. 

As a result of digitalisation, things have changed and we are always adapting to our partners’ and users' needs. We have seen some stylists go self-employed for example, so we are always looking for ways to make our software and process suitable for them and how we can best support them as a business. We need to ensure we keep up, as things move rapidly however, we also need to take into consideration how this can be done in the 13 different countries we operate in.

What are your biggest achievements to date? 

When I think about moments I’m most proud of, they often relate to reflections on building a team of incredible, hardworking, talented people. I’ve been lucky enough to do this several times over and I think every time this happens, it becomes my latest ‘big achievement’. 

What are the projects you are currently working on? 

 I’m very focused on transitioning Treatwell from a marketplace-focused offering to a software-first business for our partners, ensuring that Treatwell’s current and future digital software meets the needs of salon owners for both their regular and new clients. 

I’m involved with a few organisations outside of Treatwell like the All Bright Club, a global community for women and careers. I am also on the Hairdressing Committee within The British Beauty Council, which seeks to influence the future of British Hairdressing with Government and key industry bodies. 

Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why? 

My passions lie in tech, mentoring young women, and supporting small businesses, so broadly speaking yes. Although all of us still have lots of work to do in terms of DE&I, I’m personally always striving to ensure everyone, not just women have the opportunity to grow and thrive in our business and the industry in general. 

What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading? 

Over the next five years, I believe that being digital will be the standard rather than something that is ‘nice to have’. I also believe that client data will be much richer and therefore so will the client experience. The booking of treatments and purchasing of products will be at the tip of everyone’s fingers more than ever before! There are many wheels in motion and things we are working to change… watch this space.

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?

There is no silver bullet - learn, absorb and work hard to continuously improve what you do. I would say, as someone not from ‘the industry to begin with…that doesn’t matter. I often hear the idea that industry knowledge is imperative but I don’t believe it is when you start. You just need to be open to learning quickly and be honest with yourself and others about what you don’t know. 

Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire? 

Millie Kendall OBE at the British Beauty Council is someone who I really admire for all that she’s achieved personally, but also for the work she is doing now to align the hair & beauty industry together as one. 

I have followed Emily Weiss’s career for some time now - from Into The Gloss to the long-term strategy of Glossier - I really admire her ‘can-do’ attitude.

I can also truly say that the women on my team, specifically those I work most closely with on my UK&IE leadership team, really inspire me with their skills and passion for what we do. Along with the fact that they are just wonderful people to be around.  

Find out more about Treatwell on their website.

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This interview was conducted by Anja Streicher, Chief Marketing Officer at Women of Wearables. Anja is passionate about improving women’s health and wellness and supporting women in business, education, and children’s literature.