Toni & guy's cos sakkas reveals the secrets behind his successful career

Toni & Guy international artistic director and head of the London Toni & Guy Academy, Cos Sakkas, discusses his inspiring career. What makes hairdressing such a great career? Being a hairdresser allows you to venture down many different avenues in the industry. Whether you want to work creatively, educate, or manage a salon, hairdressing equips you with skills that are always needed. Hairdressing is the profession for someone who wants variety, as every client is different. The bottom line is it’s fun and, if you have fun every day, you will always love what you do. How did you enter hairdressing and what was the attraction? I always wanted to go into hairdressing, but I had doubts about whether it was a feasible profession to follow. I did a beginner course at Toni & Guy and had a tour of the academy with an art director, and that motivated me as I loved the energy around the place. What were your first impressions of the industry and the possibilities open to you? Because I started at the Toni & Guy London Academy, I saw a very different side to the industry. I had originally thought it was all about salon cutting, but with the global reach of Toni & Guy, I saw there was many different things that I could do. Early on I chose the creative side. How did your career progress? Once qualified I worked in salon and from there I went to Toni & Guy art team in the evenings and worked on the creative side. Eventually, I started teaching and then slowly ventured into educating full-time. From there I started to assist on shoots and shows. How did you start to work towards achieving your goals? It takes a lot of hard work and long hours. I followed any opportunity that was given to me. If someone asked me to assist I went, and slowly those contacts, long nights and weekends paid off. Ultimately you need to be open-minded, hardworking and forward-thinking for change, as the industry is a young person’s industry. What advice would you offer someone looking to carve a long-term exciting career in hairdressing? Create a reputation for yourself. Make sure you are known as someone who is hardworking and dedicated. If you are those things, your career path will open up in front of you. What have been your career highlights to date? Doing my first major show at the Royal Albert Hall in front of thousands of people, winning the London category at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards in 2008, and the prospect of being part of Toni & Guy Fifty Years Festival are all key career highlight for me. The TONI & GUY team will be at Salon International, which takes place at ExCel London from 12 to 14 October. For more information and to book your tickets, visit www.salonexhibitions.co.uk or call 0844 894 2000. Don't forget to follow @Salon_Intl and #salon2013 for all the latest updates, or like the Facebook page here.