One on One with TIGI’s Bruno Mascolo

Bruno Mascolo

After a record 2008 for TIGI—with sales up 7.5 percent—founders Bruno, Anthony and Guy Mascolo announced they had signed an agreement allowing consumer goods giant Unilever to acquire the professional product line and supporting TIGI academies. With major brands including Bed Head, Catwalk and S-Factor, the company employs about 550 people and enjoys worldwide sales of approximately $250 million.

Shortly after the announcement, Bruno Mascolo, CEO of Toni&Guy and TIGI, discussed the decision with SALON TODAY:

ST: Why Unilever, and why now?
Mascolo: This has always been a family business and we’ve been doing it for 45 years. We didn’t sell to the first company that came along with an offer—we held out for the right company. Unilever had the same cultural ideals as TIGI; they were looking to get into the professional salon sector and wanted to keep the company as a stand-alone. To grow the company to the next level, we needed the capital infusion and strong global presence that Unilever offers.

ST: What will be your future involvement with TIGI?
Mascolo: Thomas Reasonover will continue as president of the company; Anthony will continue consulting on a day-to-day business on marketing, imagery and creative education; and I will continue to consult on strategic vision and planning.

ST: How does this development meet with the vision you established FOR TIGI?
Mascolo: We always wanted to create a win-win for both us and our colleagues, the hairdressers. It has not been about making money. As hairdressers, we understood there sometimes is a separation between the product company and the hairdresser—and we’ve always been about helping the industry upgrade itself by sharing what we do. We’ve been fortunate to find a philosophical partner in Unilever—a company that will maintain our vision and keep the quality of what we wanted to do. But now, we will have more people in the field and more schools.

ST: You’ve retained ownership of Toni&Guy salons and schools. Does this mean now you’ll have more time to focus on those endeavors?
Mascolo: While Tom will continue to focus on TIGI as president, Guy and I will become more focused on the Toni&Guy salons and schools. Our goal is to make them into the ‘Harvard of hairdressing.’ We don’t want to just teach people how to do good hair, but also teach them about goal setting, business and retailing, as well as help them build confidence in all aspects—not just technical.