Rachel Mathia

Rachel Mathia is a leadership and company culture expert and was recently appointed Director of Learning & Leadership for China at lululemon, having previously held several senior roles at lululemon worldwide. Known for helping senior executives hone the leadership skills needed to deliver stellar strategic results, Rachel also headed up the people development function at renowned global brands Charlotte Tilbury Beauty and Shopbop.com.

A US native, Rachel has garnered vast experience working with a wide range of teams across the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and is particularly fluent in how leadership can be adapted to maintain the essence and culture of a global brand. She has also had a ringside seat to the IPO process at Shopbop and lululemon, giving her a strong grasp of how to scale culture as a business grows.

A certified leadership coach, Rachel completed her coaching training through the NeuroLeadership Institute, Co-Active and ORSC. She also completed Erin Meyer’s INSEAD Leading Across Borders Certification to support global leaders.

Rachel’s keynote topics include:

Leadership that Drives Performance
Six key factors drive individual performance in the workplace: Knowledge, Skill, Environment, Capacity, Motivation, and Expectation. Yet, when performance falls short, leaders often default to the idea that their team “needs more training,” even though training is the solution in only about 20% of cases, and the remaining 80% can be traced back to gaps in leadership capability. With compelling stories from Rachel’s work with clients and teams, this talk outlines how leaders can accurately diagnose performance challenges beyond the surface and tailor their leadership approach to meet individual needs, even when time feels scarce.

Leading Cross-Cultural Teams
In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to lead across cultures is no longer optional—it’s essential. Drawing on Rachel’s real-world experiences in scaling global brands across diverse markets, this keynote will equip you with the tools to: navigate cultural complexity and avoid common pitfalls in cross-cultural management, bridge misunderstandings caused by clashes in communication styles and build cohesive and productive global teams.

Developing a Culture that Wins
A healthy company culture isn’t just a “nice to have,” but a sales strategy that drives sustainable growth. This talk looks at the role of values in influencing business success, why companies with strong, value-driven cultures consistently outperform in sales, and the negative impact on performance, morale, and customer relationships when culture is deprioritised. It will also uncover practical insights into how leaders can embed culture into every aspect of their sales organisation, ensuring alignment between value, actions and outcomes.