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Q: How did you get into the aesthetics industry?
I was there right at the start of the aesthetics revolution 30 years ago. I’m a pharmacist by profession and Wigmore’s CEO Bedo Eghiayan and I were in the shop one day and someone came in and asked for botulinum toxin—we didn’t know what it was but that was how it all started. We also launched the FACE conference because we felt it was wrong that UK doctors had to travel abroad for high quality training. We started going down the educational route with training meetings and developed a one-stop shop; rather than going to suppliers for one thing you could come to Wigmore and get everything. This was our philosophy and we now supply everything a doctor needs in their practice.
Q: What do you think are Wigmore's strengths?
Our biggest single strength is that we are a family business and we care. Our customer services is second to none, the staff are extremely well trained and have a working knowledge of everything we stock—they are the jewel in the crown.
Q: How do you think the industry will bounce back from the Covid pandemic?
This industry is the closest there could be to recession proof—once a patient has got used to age maintenance, they are not going to give that up easily; they will choose beans over steak if they have to. However, I think we will lose a percentage of valued businesses who unfortunately didn’t have the resources to weather the storm. There will be casualties.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Wigmore and the industry as a whole?
Increasing competition—we have to prove ourselves to be the gold standard. The training landscape will change, there will be a need for face-to-face training but a lot more will be conducted online. It may be that our training room is used more for webinars.
Q: What are your thoughts on the lack of industry regulation?
I am a member of the JCCP advisory committee, and to me it is a mistake to let us self-regulate—for the safety of the public I would like to see mandatory regulation. Fillers should definitely be regulated. I’m not happy about the level 7 qualification; it isn’t in the interest of the general public.
Q: How do you think things are going to change when life is back to normal?
It will continue to grow. The UK model is only about 50-60 per cent behind the US model per capita; I think we will narrow the gap. When we started the botulinium toxin revolution nobody would admit to having the treatment but it’s now an accepted part of grooming. This is a positive thing because someone who has spent money on aesthetics will most likely look after their holistic wellbeing, too.
Q: If you didn't work in the industry, what would you do?
I’d be teaching ice skating. It’s fairly well known in the industry that I am a British, European and World Championships medal holder, so I would probably go back to coaching.
