In an era defined by speed, spectacle, and constant pressure to perform, trust has quietly become one of the rarest assets in business. For leaders navigating growth, visibility, and burnout all at once, it may also be the most valuable.
On a recent episode of the In Community podcast, Oshiya Savur reflected on a career spent building some of the most recognizable celebrity-backed beauty brands, including partnerships with Charlotte Tilbury, Taraji P. Henson, Drew Barrymore, Ashley Tisdale, and Mindy McKnight—and on what actually breaks when brands grow faster than trust.
“Trust is actually the most endangered species of our time,” Savur says, pointing to a marketplace flooded with endorsements, algorithms, and now AI-generated personas. In that environment, consumers are no longer impressed by visibility alone. They are looking for signals of authenticity, relevance, and care.
Savur draws a clear distinction between fandom and community. Fandom is rooted in admiration. Community is built on shared values and participation. While celebrity association can spark awareness, she notes that it often accounts for only a fraction of a brand’s long-term success. The real work begins after the launch, when companies must prove they understand their audience’s needs and show up consistently.
Building brands that last
That philosophy shaped Savur’s approach at Maesa, where the goal wasn’t simply to license a name, but to build brands with a clear lifestyle point of view. Drew Barrymore’s line, for example, wasn’t about aspirational glamour, but beauty designed for real life. Taraji P. Henson’s products were created from personal necessity, not market trends. These brands resonated because they were grounded in lived experience rather than borrowed relevance.
Community, Savur emphasizes, is not easy to build. It requires experimentation, patience, and humility—qualities that are increasingly rare in a culture optimized for speed rather than sustainability. There is no universal playbook. Metrics like email replies, organic waitlists, and direct messages often reveal more about a brand’s health than impressions or follower counts. “If anyone tells you they can build community overnight,” she cautions, “they’re likely lying.”
Beyond brand strategy, Savur’s story is also one of personal alignment. Raised in India by progressive parents who valued independence and education, she learned early the importance of self-sufficiency and purpose. Her career path was far from linear. She failed entrance exams, pivoted away from her dream of journalism, and faced moments where professional success felt like personal compromise. Each detour, however, brought her closer to work that created impact at scale.
Her guiding principle is simple but demanding: never settle. Hold a clear North Star, stay flexible in how you reach it, and don’t let circumstances define what’s possible.
For leaders navigating today’s fractured attention economy, Savur’s perspective offers a grounding reminder. Trust is not a soft value or a branding flourish. It is built through consistency, clarity, and care—and it lightens the long-term burden of leadership by replacing constant performance with earned belief.
Because in the end, the brands—and the leaders—who last are the ones who understand that real connection isn’t a tactic. It’s a responsibility.
