Penhaligon's CEO Sarah Rotheram has scents of adventure

Whether collecting antiquities, studying fashion textiles or dreaming up new perfumes, Sarah Rotheram thrives on creativity. "The fragrance industry, when you work in a small brand, is incredibly creative, from the actual creation of a perfume to the packaging and marketing," says the CEO of English fragrance house Penhaligon's. "At heart I am a creative person, and I was drawn to the power of ingredients and the passion in the industry."

Rotheram studied and worked in fashion before getting a taste for luxury beauty brands with Molton Brown. She joined Penhaligon's in 2007 as general manager and two years later become CEO of the brand and its sister company, L'Artisan Parfumeur.

"Penhaligon's has such a unique selling point - being one of only a handful of British brands, with this incredible royal heritage," she says. "The uniqueness of the brand is how the products are created - every one of the fragrances has a story to tell, each fragrance in the archives was developed in this way, and we had a future of not following trends but creating more beautiful stories."

Over the years, Rotheram has carried on the spirit of William Penhaligon, who founded the brand in 1870, by launching innovative fragrances designed to stand the test of time.

"The team thought I was a little crazy when I suggested we should explore the gin route, but the end result is an absolutely amazing fragrance," she says of Juniper Sling. "It has the fizz of a gin and tonic, but with this incredible sensual heart note."

Inspiration, Rotheram says, comes "at the strangest moments". The idea for Juniper Sling came from an evening tasting gin, while the beeswax, leather and spice notes of Sartorial came from working with tailors on Savile Row.

The brand's newest launch, Vaara, was the result of Rotheram and the perfumer's visits to Jodhpur over the course of two years. "At times I had to pinch myself at the beauty of the landscape, the experience of visiting royal residences and the constant inspiration, from the markets to the floral gardens and the incredible history," she recalls.

The brand last month opened its first-ever flagship store at IFC Mall, complete with a private scent profiling room. "We are targeting the opening of many Asian cities, and we hope to learn a good deal from the international customer base in Hong Kong," Rotheram says.

The savvy CEO, however, is keen to honour the unique heritage of Penhaligon's. "We have ambitions to open our boutiques across the world," she says. "That said, we don't wish to be everywhere - part of the appeal of a brand, such as ours, is to be a well-kept secret, something of a surprise."