Leaders at the Bell with Sue Phillips, CEO at Scenterprises, Oct 23, 2025

Sue Phillips, CEO of Scenterprises, brings decades of fragrance industry experience to the NYSE floor, having created signature scents for brands ranging from Tiffany and Burberry to celebrities including Zendaya and Jamie Foxx. The nearly $60 billion global perfume industry has undergone a fundamental transformation, shifting away from traditional designer and celebrity fragrances toward personalized, niche offerings that reflect individual identity. Phillips emphasizes that modern consumers, particularly following the pandemic, increasingly seek bespoke fragrances that express their unique personalities rather than following celebrity trends. She challenges conventional assumptions about gendered fragrances, noting that perfume versus cologne designations simply indicate concentration levels rather than gender-specific formulations.

Beyond commercial applications, Phillips addresses the pandemic's impact on olfactory health, describing her work helping individuals who lost their sense of smell recover through scent healing journeys. Her book "The Power of Perfume" explores this connection between fragrance and wellbeing, documenting cases like an NBC interview subject who regained smell after fifteen months through Phillips' intervention. She is currently collaborating with a neuroscientist on a follow-up exploring connections between the olfactory bulb and limbic system. Phillips advocates for consumers to identify their "olfactive personality" through assessment tools available on her website, matching fragrance profiles to lifestyle preferences and personality traits rather than defaulting to mass-market options.