Whom You Know: MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Suelyn Farel, Director of Business Development at the Julien Farel Group

Thursday, April 2, 2009

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Suelyn Farel, Director of Business Development at the Julien Farel Group

Suelyn Farel is Director of Business Development at the Julien Farel Group, the luxury beauty and wellness business founded by her husband Julien Farel. At the Julien Farel Group, Suelyn has played a leadership role in expanding the business into health and wellness with the introduction of JF Gymnastique in 2008. Today JF Gymnastique is on the forefront of health and wellness - having been featured in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Gotham, Departures, Page Six Magazine and CNBC's High Net Worth, ABC News NOW and LX TV's 1st Look, and Whom You Know.

Whom You Know's Original Coverage:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/03/daylight-if-you-give-mom-martini-by.html

Additionally, Suelyn secured the Julien Farel Salon as the official salon at the US Open. Now in its third year, Julien Farel has created a one-of-a-kind courtside experience to ensure all VIPS are camera ready for the tennis matches including players, coaches, the United States Tennis Associates (USTA) executives, celebrity tennis fans and journalists.

For six years prior to joining the Julien Farel Group, Suelyn was founder, CEO and Creative Director of B Squared Design & Printing in New York. B Squared offered design and printing services to clients such as Fox News, Trump Restaurant Group, Blackrock Financial, the Blackstone Group, Golf Digest and Sesame Street. B Squared Design & Printing was Suelyn's second company, having founded Work Hard Play Hard Inc, a graphic design company, in 1998. Work Hard Play Hard included Morgan Stanley and ESPN among its clients for design and project management.

Suelyn has significant business management and design experience. Suelyn's creative excellence was recognized in Graphic Design USA's "2002 Design Annual" in Sales Promotion, singling out Bogdanoff Russian Vodka with top honors.

Suelyn graduated from Boston University in three years with a BS in Finance. Following graduation, Suelyn attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in NY and modeled for WWD, Reebok, Sony and Polaroid among others.

Suelyn is passionate about business, loves the quest for perfection, travel, photography, and spending time with her husband and their two beautiful daughters, especially on the beach. Peachy Deegan chatted with the perfectly pleasant Suelyn Farel recently for Whom You Know.

Peachy Deegan: What do you like most about being the Director of Business Development at the Julien Farel Group?
Suelyn Farel: Being relatively new to the Beauty & Wellness business, there’s a tremendous learning curve for me, which I love. It’s intellectually stimulating and continuously challenging. Also, it’s amazing to see so many dynamic, fabulous and successful women every day. I learn from them and they inspire me.

What is the most challenging aspect of your profession?
The constant strive for perfection and consistency- in our level of service, communication and day-to-day management.

What would most people not realize that you do as part of your job?
Creatively direct our group’s marketing collateral and test hair and beauty products!

What future business areas would you like to develop for the Julien Farel Group?
A hotel partnership and a hair care line, as well as a “one-of-a-kind” patented product.

What is the most fun part of participating in the capacity you do for the US Open?
Seeing the players transformed after leaving our salon- the “Before” and “After.” Many of them are known to wait from Wimbledon to the US Open for their haircut with us.

What are your favorite clients to work with and what makes them that way?
The clients that recognize our outstanding level of luxury service and truly appreciate it!

Do you still model?
No, and I occasionally miss it… being able to leave work and the stress of the day behind…you don’t carry your job home with you.

Do your daughters want to be in the family business when they grow up?
I hope so!

What is your favorite beach?
Saline Beach in St. Barth.

What is your favorite place to be in NYC?
At home with my family.

What is your favorite shop?
Hermès.

What is your favorite drink?
Iced Coffee.

What is your favorite restaurant?
For dinner, Circo on West 55th Street or Le Cirque because I love the Maccioni’s food and service, not to mention charming atmosphere! Bruno at Circo is a fabulous maître d'. For the rare lunches squeezed into my calendar, it’s BG Café, Geisha, or Cipriani Downtown when the weather’s warm.

What is your favorite NYC book?
Zagat.

What is your favorite thing to do in NYC that you can do nowhere else?
Walk along Park Avenue with my husband and girls.

What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
Underrated would definitely have to be the adrenaline-fueled New York City lifestyle. Also, New York has amazing food, but too many of the restaurants here are overrated.

What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
I love steakhouses, popcorn, playing scrabble in French, and YSL mascara.

How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
info@julienfarel.com

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