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42 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | SEPTEMBER 2017 L I V E & LE A R N Profi les COURTESY OF MOROCCANOIL H ailing from a family of North Carolina farmers and later attending college for agriculture and life sciences, Robert Ham doesn't represent the typical industry educator background. Though two stylist aunts exposed him to the craft at an early age, only in his late twenties did he take the leap for himself. "It wasn't necessarily something a Southern boy would do," Ham laughs. "It shows that it's never too late to fi nd out what you're supposed to do and make a career change—and working with chemistry and biology has been really helpful for product development!" Ham began his journey humbly, at a highly structured spa in Cary, North Carolina—a setting he credits for teaching him the ropes and even sending him abroad to expand his skills. He started over again after relocating to Chicago in 2008, and was soon introduced to Moroccanoil (@moroccanoil) by a salon client. Citing "unbelievable" results, he convinced his salon owner to sell the product, struck up a friendship with one of the then-fl edgling company's two brand managers, and started freelance teaching alongside her in the Midwest. By 2010, Ham was offered his own job as a Moroccanoil educator, then, in 2015, as director of global education. "My greatest success is working behind the chair, then bringing that knowledge to a young company," Ham refl ects. "Though we were known as a consumer brand, we wanted to win the hearts of hairdressers." Ham describes himself as a "very hands-on" director, embracing tasks both large (overseeing education initiatives worldwide) and small (wrangling models and booth setups at trade shows). In 2016, he quadrupled the Moroccanoil education team from 25 to 100 worldwide and introduced its fi rst-ever cutting program to the lineup. Now, he's looking to expand those efforts and hints at "big surprises" for the company's academy (think a new location or advanced facility) in 2018. But perhaps his best achievement—and advice for students and stylists everywhere—is a dogged determination to listen and learn. "Education is the only way we grow as artists," Ham concludes. "If you're open to learning, you can be anything you want to be in this industry." Robert Ham transitioned from small-town Southerner to jet-setting director of global education for Moroccanoil—and helped transform the company's educational ethos along the way. ÑTRACY MORIN Southern Charm s kill s H e HAM'S HINTS: EDUCATION Don't let ego get in the way. You're never too good to learn, and you don't know everything. 1 2 3 Approach education with an open mind. Find a mentor to nurture your skill, then let him or her help you. Moroccanoil's Robert Ham Ham works on a model backstage. Ham at Trifecta 2017.