How the mother-daughter duo harness their unique talents to make Belo Medical Group a family-business success
One of Asia's most respected medical-cosmetics outfits, Belo Medical Group is known for having helped hordes of men and women age backwards. Its leaders—Dr Vicki Belo and her daughter Cristalle Belo-Pitt—are veritable celebrities, as evidenced by social-media followings that tally 1.8 million and 515,000 followers respectively. In an age in which succession is one of the biggest issues facing family-run corporations, they've managed to mix bloodlines with business and make it work. We asked them how.
Describe your respective roles at Belo Medical Group.
Vicki Belo: Officially I am the medical director and CEO of the company, and I have a general manager who takes care of the day-to-day operations. I assigned myself the things I enjoy most—I do the research and development; I go around the world and I look for the latest technology and developments in the industry; I attend the conventions and I read the journals to see what new things we can do at the clinic. I also delve into marketing and of course a little PR here and there, because I am the face of the company, after all!
Cristalle Belo-Pitt: I bridge two aspects of the business that operate in two different markets—one is a high-end clinic and the other is mass-retail skincare products. They both carry the same name so I make sure that the ethos of the brand is represented in both.
In 2007, I expanded the Belo line to have a line of affordable skincare products people can easily have access to in supermarkets and drugstores. This is in line with our vision to “Make the Philippines the most beautiful country in the world, one person at a time.”
Although it reaches a different socio-economic class, I make sure that its positioning is aligned with the aspirational positioning that the Belo Medical Group carries. We launch products that have a distinct beauty proposition, so they immediately stand out from the competitors and give the consumer value that only Belo—a company backed up by skincare experts—can deliver.
As a brand, I want Belo Medical Group to represent me