John Hickey

Education Development Partner

I have been hairdressing and teaching for over 30 years and love the industry. I started in Country Victoria and then moved to Melbourne, working in high-end salons in the city, South Yarra, and Carlton, where I fell in love with Aveda. I had the pleasure of presenting twice at Congress: once as a hair cutter and stylist, and the second time as a hair colourist. This allowed me to work with the industry's best on international platforms such as Korea, Taiwan, Taipei, the United Kingdom, the USA, and across Australia.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Horst Rechelbacher at the famed Minneapolis Institute on several occasions. I lived at his home for three weeks, experiencing the Aveda lifestyle while working on education and product development, which was truly exciting. Additionally, I had the opportunity to live and work in the US for 10 years in various educational roles with Aveda in the Southern States. I am now really happy to be back here with my Aveda Australia family.

Get to Know Me

Question: What is your favourite professional quote for inspiration?

Answer: This was said to me in the early days of my apprenticeship: "When you're green, you grow; when you're ripe, you rot." It has always stuck with me to never stop learning or assume you know it all, as that puts you at the end of your life cycle. We believe learning never ends.

Why I Love to Educate

I had a lot of difficulty learning the craft as a left-hander because scissors were not made for left-handers at the time. I had to learn to cut right-handed. I remembered how hard that was, so I made it my mission to educate others and make things simpler and easier to understand. It became my joy to see others get it and grow.