FHT Vice President Caroline Larissey
FHT Vice President Caroline Larissey

IFHB – International Federation of Health and Beauty Therapists

Caroline is a highly respected and experienced professional, currently employed as Director of Quality and Standards at the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF), the largest UK trade association for just under 6,000 hairdressing, barbers, beauty, and aesthetics businesses. here Caroline is responsible for championing the employer voice and ensuring quality, standards, and education across the sector.  

Acting as a conduit between government and industry, Caroline works with employers, industry and awarding organisations, professional bodies, government agencies, departments, and ministers on issues such as training, apprenticeships, standards, qualifications, codes of practice, quality assurance, funding and business practice. She is also a chairperson, ambassador, advisor and board member of various industry, government, quality assurance, regulatory, education and training groups across the sector.

Caroline's key career achievements, include:

  • Successfully led the implementation the government education reform (14-19 Diplomas) across England across the Hair and Beauty sector (2006- 2012).
  • Led the development of the apprenticeship standards in hair, beauty, aesthetics and wellbeing across the sector in the UK for 20 years (15 Years Habia, NHBF 5 years), National Occupational Standards (15 years), working with industry and awarding organisation to implement the standards and raise the quality of education and training across the sector.
  • Member of the Government COVID Task Group, instrumental as the only technical adviser to provide hair, beauty and aesthetics guidance and advice to governments across all four nations on behalf of the sector, which underpinned government COVID guidelines.
  • Author and technical expert who developed the “go to industry advice” award winning NHBF guidance and Trading Standards guidance during COVID.
  • Recognised across the hair, beauty, aesthetics, and wellbeing sector as the instrumental in the development of standards, quality and guidance to support recognition and value of the sector.
  • Chairperson, board member and ambassador of multiple influential hair, beauty and aesthetics sector, associated and government groups.
  • Successful managed multifaceted teams across multiple training sites delivering an extensive selection of education programmes to a diverse range of students.
  • Received numerous recognitions for contribution to industry: Age Positive employer champion, Top 100 inspirational women, Pro-Beauty magazine, ScratchHairdressers JournalIn focus