The 2024 Speakers
CREIGHTON KIPER
Vice President, Beauty, Walmart US
Creighton leads the beauty business and strategic initiatives with responsibility for merchandising in stores and online for the US market. In addition, He oversees transformation efforts in customer experience for store and site. His team is currently leading an initiative to democratize beauty at Walmart and accelerate a digital first and inclusive customer experience. Under Creighton’s leadership, Walmart Beauty has launched several brands and initiatives, as well as Walmart’s own accelerator (Walmart Start), which has been able to accelerate and incubate some of the newest innovative and inclusive brands in the market. Walmart was named Mass Beauty Retailer of the Year at the 2022 Beauty Inc Awards and in 2023, Creighton was named WWD Beauty Retailer Person of the Year.
SHAI EISENMAN
Founder and CEO, Bubble Skincare
Shai Eisenman is the founder and CEO of Bubble Skincare. Bubble sets a new skincare standard while listening to what its customers want and need. Bubble was developed when Eisenman saw a gap in the market for a modern skincare brand specifically targeted toward consumers’ needs and that community led Shai to develop formulations that don’t compromise price for efficacy. Today, the Bubble line consists of 20 products that work together to create a complete routine from face cleansers to face masks, with all products priced under $20. Bubble products are available on hellobubble.com, in over 12,000 retail locations across the US and UK including Boots, Beauty Bay, CVS, Walmart, and Ulta stores.
AKASH MEHTA
Co-Founder and CEO, Fable & Mane
Akash Mehta is a British entrepreneur. He graduated from Imperial College London in Engineering and previously worked at Burberry, Estée Lauder Companies, and Parfums Christian Dior, where he was the youngest ever Global Digital Manager and rising executive in the beauty industry. Currently, Akash is the CEO and co-founder of Fable & Mane, an Ayurvedic-inspired hair wellness brand. He is also the host of the Founded Beauty podcast, a leading podcast in both beauty and business. Akash was placed on the Forbes ’30 under 30′ list in Media & Marketing and has been sharing his marketing expertise at some of the largest conferences and universities around the world from TEDx and industry summits. He is also a board member and investor in LVMH’s Patou, a Global Guardian for UNICEF and co-founder of The Fable Fund, an initiative committed to wild tiger conservation with sustainable development.
CHRISTINE CHANG
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Glow Recipe
Christine Chang is the co-CEO and co-founder of Glow Recipe, a clinically effective, fruit-forward brand known for clean, efficacious, and cruelty-free skincare innovations. Since its inception in 2017, Glow Recipe has paired the latest technologies and ingredients with education to empower consumers to bring out their glow, while remaining loyal to its core values of real skin acceptance, inclusivity, and sustainability. Glow Recipe has built a hyper-engaged global community and has expanded its footprint as a top ranked skincare brand across North America, Europe, Australia, South East Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East.
Christine started her beauty career at L’Oréal Korea. After completing a master’s degree program at Columbia University, Christine returned to L’Oréal and was tapped to join the global business development and marketing team at the Kiehl’s New York Headquarters. Christine’s strategic experience in launching and scaling global brands has fueled Glow Recipe’s expansion worldwide. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and daughter.
GABBY CHEN
President of Global Expansion, Florasis
With 18 years of experience in the Asia Pacific, Gabby is the Global Expansion President at Florasis, aiming to position the C-Beauty brand on the global stage. Her expertise in consumer insights, strategic partnerships, and role in driving growth highlight her capability to navigate the competitive beauty market. Previously, as Head of Beauty at Lane Crawford Group China, she significantly expanded the brand’s presence. Gabby also founded Mood Editing Cosmetics in collaboration with NetEase, one of China’s leading tech companies, and introduced KENDALL + KYLIE to Asia Pacific, being the exclusive distributor for the brand. Beyond her corporate success, she’s an entrepreneur and investor, founding the acclaimed Janes and Hooch bar in Beijing, and investing in Alesca Life, an agricultural tech company focusing on efficient, environmentally friendly food production. Gabby’s diverse achievements from luxury retail to tech start-ups underscore her vision and leadership in fostering growth and global expansion for Florasis.
JOSHUA BRITTON
Founder and CEO, Debut
Joshua is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Debut, located in San Diego, California. Debut uses cutting-edge biotechnology to bring novel, high-performing, and sustainable ingredients to the cosmetic industry. Joshua believes the best way to deliver on the promise of biomanufacturing is to vertically integrate to product. Debut discovers, tests, and commercializes high-performing ingredients and products by incorporating them into valuable beauty products. At Debut, Joshua leads a rapidly growing multidisciplinary team of 80 people, executing an aggressive commercialization strategy. To date, Joshua has raised $70 million for Debut from leading funds including BOLD, the venture capital fund of L’Oréal.
LAUREN BOWKER
Founder and Material Alchemist, THE UNSEEN
Lauren Bowker is regarded as one of this generation’s most significant material disruptors and innovators. After developing a pollution absorbent visually indicating dye, as a Material Alchemist, Lauren founded THE UNSEEN in 2011, with the curiosity of seeing the unseen and the ambition of applying material science to improve lives. Since then, she has taken her revolutionary, transformative compounds to the epicenter of fashion, industry, and society, collaborating with various high-profile global brands and organizations, from Virgin Galactic to the National Health Service (NHS). Her work has been exhibited worldwide and has inspired material innovation and user experience in the automotive, aeronautics, technology, healthcare, retail, fashion, textiles, and beauty sectors.
ALEX WILTSCHKO
CEO, Osmo
Alex Wiltschko is the Chief Executive Officer of Osmo, where he’s focused on advancing the field of digital olfaction. He is also the co-host of the Theory and Practice podcast alongside GV venture partner Anthony Philippakis. The podcast features conversations at the cutting edge of biology and computer science. Previously, Alex was a staff research scientist at Google Research, where he worked at the intersection of machine learning and biology since 2017.
Alex is a repeat entrepreneur who has spent much of his career exploring new frontiers in artificial intelligence. Before Google, Alex co-founded Syllable Life Sciences (acquired by Neumora), which used AI and computer vision to decipher body language to accelerate preclinical development and build better treatments for disease. Alex was also the co-founder of Whetlab (acquired by Twitter) and spent the earlier years of his career as a software developer.
IRINA BARBALOVA
Global Lead, Health and Beauty, Euromonitor International
Irina is a Global Lead and drives the evolution of Euromonitor International’s Health and Beauty offering. She leads the insights and commercial strategy across the beauty and wellness space. Bringing over 15 years of industry expertise, Irina provides strategic direction and foresight into the evolving health, beauty, and wellness landscape, with a particular interest in women’s health. Throughout her extensive tenure at the company, Irina has led numerous industry projects and has partnered with clients spanning the entire value chain with a focus on actionable insights to accelerate growth strategy and foster innovation.
MEREDITH PETILLO
VP of Technical and Regulatory Services, Independent Beauty Association
Meredith is the Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Services at the nonprofit trade association Independent Beauty Association (IBA). Meredith leverages 20 years of experience in cosmetic regulatory affairs, legal advertising, product testing, and product development to support IBA member companies with practical regulatory and technical education and solutions. Prior to joining IBA, Meredith established an in-house regulatory department at Bare Escentuals for bareMinerals, BUXOM, and MD Formulations. She then moved to Energizer (now Edgewell) to support Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, and Schick North American Regulatory Affairs. She then joined Reckitt Benckiser’s (RB) legal team overseeing advertising claims substantiation for RB’s health and hygiene portfolios including Mucinex, Delsym, Air Wick, Lysol, Veet, Clearasil, and Durex, among many others. Meredith also provided regulatory consulting services at Product Integrity Laboratory. She holds a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Richmond and an MS in regulatory affairs for drugs, biologics, and medical devices from Northeastern University.
CHARLIE GU
Head of Jing Intelligence, Jing Daily
Charlie Gu is a cross-cultural marketing strategist with over 15 years of professional expertise in advising brands on their China market strategy. As a Deputy Publisher at Jing Daily, the leading authority on luxury consumer culture in the China market, Charlie oversees the development and execution of partnership opportunities with key industry stakeholders. Additionally, he is the Head of Jing Intelligence, a business unit within Jing Daily that provides comprehensive China market research, insights, and strategic advisory. Prior to joining Jing Daily, Charlie founded Kollective Influence, a cross-border marketing agency that advises beauty and fashion brands on their China market and Chinese consumer strategy. His passion for cross-cultural communication and understanding enables him to develop effective and culturally relevant strategies that help brands capture the attention of Chinese consumers around the world.
ZHAORAN MENG
Founder and CEO, DOCUMENTS
Zhaoran Meng is the founder and CEO of Chinese premium perfume brand DOCUMENTS. Zhaoran was born and raised in China, studied in France, and is a ten-year entrepreneur focusing on the commercialization of Oriental culture and esthetics.
BETTINA O’NEILL
SVP Business Development, Merchandising & Wholesale, Scentbird
Bettina has over 20 years of beauty and fragrance industry experience, having worked for renowned retailers like Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Barneys New York. During her tenure as VP Divisional Merchandise Manager at Barneys, she spearheaded the launch of the niche fragrance category. This included exclusive brands such as Frederic Malle, Le Labo, and Byredo (who are no longer considered niche!) in the US. Now serving as the SVP of Business Development, Merchandising & Wholesale at Scentbird since 2020, she has helped to transform the fragrance subscription platform, which pioneered the concept in 2014, into the largest fragrance sampling subscription company in the world. Bettina’s mission at Scentbird is to curate a diverse assortment of indie, niche, luxury, and designer fragrances, catering to their 700,000 subscribers. She excels at building brand awareness and driving sales by offering personalized sampling experiences as well as leveraging customer reviews and retargeting strategies. Bettina is dedicated to introducing new scents while reintroducing classics, ultimately helping brands achieve their goals in a mutually beneficial partnership.
CHARLES DENTON
Executive Chairman, Erno Laszlo
Charles Denton is a globally recognized leader in the beauty industry, boasting extensive operational and strategic expertise. Born and educated in England, he honed his skills in London’s financial sector before transitioning to beauty, initially at Molton Brown. His passion for sales and marketing propelled him to the roles of Joint Managing Director and Chief Executive, where he spearheaded the transformation of Molton Brown from a Mayfair-based hairdresser into a renowned global lifestyle and fragrance brand, culminating in its £172 million acquisition by Kao Corporation. For the next few years, Charles focused on philanthropy, particularly children’s causes, before returning to business with the award winning marketing agency FOLD7. In 2011, he acquired Erno Laszlo, the skincare pioneer. Leveraging his experiences in reimagining heritage brands, he grew revenues from $10 million surpassing $120 million in 2023 with a strategic focus on the North American and Chinese markets. Charles is recognized for his expertise in global brand strategy and business transformation and is an advisor to several private equity firms. He is also deeply committed to mentoring young entrepreneurs and supporting early years education.
