The 2025 Speakers
KECIA STEELMAN
President + CEO, Ulta Beauty
Kecia was named Ulta Beauty’s President and Chief Executive Officer in 2025, after serving in several leadership roles since joining Ulta Beauty in 2014. In her role as CEO, Kecia is responsible for setting and driving the company’s long-term strategic vision and protecting and enriching its culture to ensure Ulta Beauty furthers its mission to leverage the power of beauty to make a positive impact.
Prior to her current role, she served as President and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Store Operations Officer after joining the company as Senior Vice President, Store Operations in 2014. Before joining Ulta, Kecia served in leadership positions including Family Dollar Stores and Home Depot. She began her career at Target Corporation where she served in a variety of retail operations and merchandising roles. Kecia currently serves on the board of directors for The Bay Club Company and the Adler Planetarium.
MONA KATTAN
Founder + CEO, KAYALI
Mona Kattan, a trailblazing Arab American entrepreneur, is one of the most influential women in beauty. As the founder of KAYALI fragrances, she champions inclusivity and empowers future beauty leaders. After earning a finance degree, Mona worked in investment banking before launching a PR and business consultancy in 2009. In 2012, she co-founded a beauty salon, which led to creating Huda Beauty with her sisters.
Dubbed the “Perfume Princess,” she owns over 4,500 perfumes and was named “Most Influential Social Media Personality” by The Fragrance Foundation in 2018. She has collaborated with Coty and Bloomingdale’s and launched KAYALI in 2018, inspired by her Middle Eastern heritage and the art of scent layering.
With over 6 million followers, Mona’s expertise is featured in top publications like Vogue and Forbes, which named her one of the most powerful women in the Middle East in 2024. She also has appeared on Netflix’s Dubai Bling and Shark Tank.
CHRISTOPHER SKINNER
Chief Revenue Officer, Front Row
Christopher Skinner is the Chief Revenue Officer at Front Row, overseeing global sales, business development, marketing, and client value. With over two decades in beauty and wellness, he has shaped industry-leading brands through strategy, creative, and retail innovation.
In 2015, Skinner founded School House, a creative agency specializing in brand strategy, retail environments, and content, which joined Front Row in 2021. He was appointed Front Row’s first Chief Brand Officer in 2023, leading its brand integration and market repositioning.
His career began at Sephora in 2003, progressing to regional leadership in animations and events. He later joined SpaceNK Apothecary, rising to Global Director of Design and Creative. At LVMH’s Fresh (2011-2015), he was part of the executive team responsible for solidifying the brand’s positioning in the market and driving global expansion.
MATTHEW MALIN
Founder, MALIN+GOETZ
Matthew Malin co-founded MALIN+GOETZ in 2004 with a vision to uncomplicate skincare. With an extensive background in the beauty industry, he held key roles in buying, sales, and brand development, shaping the success of several globally recognized names before launching his own. His deep industry experience, combined with his own struggles with sensitive skin, led him to develop skincare that prioritizes simplicity and performance. Alongside his partner Andrew Goetz, they launched the brand with six essential products designed for all skin types and genders. More than two decades later, MALIN+GOETZ has evolved into a globally recognized brand with apothecaries in cities from NYC to Shanghai, known for its thoughtful formulations and elevated everyday essentials.
MERIDITH ROJAS
CMO, MCoBeauty
Meridith Rojas is an award-winning digital entrepreneur, marketing leader, author, and keynote speaker. Currently the CMO for VidaCorp in the US, she oversees the #1 Australian luxe-for-less beauty brand, MCoBeauty, clean beauty brand Nude by Nature, and skincare brand esmi. At MCoBeauty, she has driven unprecedented growth, solidifying its position as the #5 mass beauty brand in Kroger and a top 10 social beauty brand overall in the US through innovative campaigns, influencer collaborations, and retail partnerships. Under Meridith’s leadership, the brand is launching into Target in February, with a major campaign featuring Bethenny Frankel, Campbell and Jett Puckett, and JVKE.
Previously, Meridith served as Chief Brand Officer at Captiv8 and Global Head of Entertainment and Creator Marketing at Logitech, where she developed groundbreaking talent partnerships and launched the Song Breaker Awards.
A frequent keynote speaker and advocate for creators, she’s earned recognition and honors from Variety’s Power of Women Impact Report, DE&I awards, and has held a 2023 Clios jury role.
DANESSA MYRICKS
Founder + CEO, Danessa Myricks Beauty
As a makeup artist, photographer, and entrepreneur, Danessa Myricks is a leader in the beauty industry credited for leading groundbreaking product development for many popular brands before launching her own brand in 2015. As a self-taught makeup artist, Danessa learned how to use products in unconventional ways, quickly defining herself as a leading educator in the beauty space. Her corporate journey further revealed that the world of makeup felt not inclusive to many, so she launched her own inclusive brand.
Danessa Myricks Beauty has been awarded 80 accolades including Allure Best of Beauty, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies List, and Oprah Daily Awards.
Danessa remains rooted in her artistry as her brand expands but keeps community-building at the forefront. As CEO, she runs the business based on a mission to build confidence through beauty and inspires those who previously felt underrepresented, unseen, or ignored by beauty brands.
AMY ERRETT
Founder + CEO, Madison Reed
Amy Errett founded Madison Reed with over 30 years of business and operating expertise as a four-time entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Prior to founding Madison Reed, Amy was a general partner at Maveron, a venture capital firm co-founded by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and also previously served as Chief Asset Gathering Officer at E*TRADE. She has been featured on Fast Company’s first-ever Queer 50 list 2020 through 2023, Inc. Magazine’s 2021 Female Founders 100 list, Forbes 50 Over 50, and was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 Bay Area Award winner by Ernst & Young. Amy is dedicated to giving back and served as a board member for GLIDE, for 21+ years, along with the University of Connecticut Foundation and Common Sense Media. She currently sits on the board of Holey Grail Donuts.
RYAN BABENZIEN
Founder + CEO, Jolie Skin Co.
Ryan is a two-time founder in the beauty and footwear sectors. He is CEO of Jolie Skin Co.—a beauty wellness brand that addresses the purity of water for better skin, hair, and well-being— that he founded in 2021. He also founded GREATS, the first digitally native footwear brand in 2014, which he sold to Steve Madden in 2019. Ryan is an avid advisor, investor, and thought leader in the ecommerce space, serving as a board advisor to AI marketing platform Attentive Mobile and Try Now, a “try before you buy” e-commerce platform. Ryan is a board member of Imogene & Willie and Hoek Home and has been recognized or featured in numerous publications and media outlets including Forbes, Techcrunch, Highsnobiety, Hypebeast, Shoptalk, Footwear News, and WWD, among others. In 2018, Ryan was recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of the class of 2018.
DEEPICA MUTYALA
Founder + CEO, Live Tinted
Deepica Mutyala is the Founder and CEO of Live Tinted, a clean beauty brand celebrating all complexions. As a South Asian American entrepreneur, she is committed to inclusivity in beauty through innovative products and meaningful conversations.
Deepica first gained recognition in 2015 when her viral YouTube video for dark undereye circles amassed over 10 million views. She has collaborated with major brands like Estée Lauder, LVMH, and Unilever, earning recognition in TIME Magazine as a Next Generation Leader in 2022. She also helped create the first South Asian CEO Barbie with Mattel.
In 2018, Deepica launched Live Tinted as a digital platform for beauty and culture. The brand debuted its first product, the HUESTICK, in 2019, which quickly sold out with a 10,000+ waitlist. Under Deepica’s leadership, Live Tinted has partnered with Barbie and Netflix and won awards from WWD and Allure. Now sold at Ulta Beauty, it is the retailer’s fastest-growing prestige cosmetics brand.
PIYUSH JAIN
CEO, Maesa
Piyush Jain is Chief Executive Officer of Maesa, the leading disruptor in beauty and personal care. He joined Maesa in 2022 and is leading the company through transformative growth and success by nurturing a strong portfolio of beauty brands, launching new brands, and investing in top talent to continue to fuel the future growth of Maesa. Under Piyush’s leadership, the company saw consistent high double-digit growth year over year.
Prior to Maesa, Piyush served as CEO of Hand in Hand, a Bain Capital Double Impact company. Before that, he played integral roles across beauty, hair, and personal care categories at Unilever for more than 20 years. In his most recent role there, he served as Global Brand Vice President for Beauty and Personal Care and ran the North America hair brand portfolio, leading iconic brands including Love Beauty and Planet, Dove, Lux, Suave, TRESemmé, and Nexxus.
SERGIO TACHE
Founder + CEO, Dossier
Sergio Tache is the Founder & CEO of Dossier, a perfume house for the next generation, where French craftsmanship meets innovation, enabling universal access and self-expression for the many. With Dossier, Sergio helps to set a new standard within the industry––removing pretenses, like the designer brand name tax and use of elitist marketing practices that drive up luxury fragrance prices.
Sergio launched the company with its now-hero collection of Dossier Impressions, a collection of designer-inspired fragrances available for 70% to 85% less. With their success, he leveraged the company’s learnings to develop Dossier Originals (in-house exclusive fragrances) and Dossier Home (diffusers and candles with scents from customer-favorite Impressions). As of 2024, Tache has successfully helped the company expand outside of the US to Mexico, Canada, and Australia and acquired Amazon and Walmart as retail partners.
DAVID OLSEN
CEO, RMS Beauty
David is a seasoned senior leader with 25 years of experience in the digital retail and brand space. Before joining Highlander Partners in 2019, he served as the CEO of Cos Bar, a private equity-backed beauty retailer. Earlier in his career, David held the role of Global Vice President at Net-A-Porter and Mr. Porter, where he was instrumental in launching their beauty and grooming businesses, driving triple-digit annual growth. He also founded DermTeam, an e-commerce cosmeceutical business that he later sold to DermStore. At DermStore, David led business development, buying, and operations until its acquisition by Target in 2012.
As Managing Director at Highlander Partners, David evaluated numerous brands before identifying and investing in RMS Beauty, where he now serves as CEO. During his tenure, he supported other portfolio companies, including playing a key role in the growth and sale of Bettera Brands, where he served as EVP of Sales during the pandemic.
MARCO PARSIEGLA
CEO, Amouage
Marco Parsiegla is the Chief Executive Officer of Amouage, the independent Omani high perfumery house renowned for crafting some of the most coveted fragrances in the world. With a rich heritage rooted in Oman and its globally celebrated artistry in creating evocative, nuanced fragrances, Amouage, under Parsiegla’s leadership, became one of the fastest growing houses in high perfumery.
Before taking the helm at Amouage in 2019, Parsiegla held numerous influential roles in the luxury and consumer goods sectors. Notably, he was the Global Vice President of the Prestige division at Procter & Gamble, where he managed some of the world’s most iconic fragrance and beauty brands including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Alexander McQueen. The role further strengthened his expertise in the luxury fragrance segment and allowed him to spearhead innovative strategies that significantly grew Procter & Gamble’s market share and brand equity in the high-end beauty space.
CHRIS SANDERSON
Co-Founder, The Future Laboratory
Christopher is co-founder of The Future Laboratory, where he is responsible for delivering the company‘s extensive global roster of conferences, media events, and Trend Briefings, which he presents in London, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, and around the world.
Clients who have booked one of his inspirational keynotes include luxury group Kering, The European Travel Commission, Retail Week, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, Chanel, Harrods, Aldo, H&M, General Motors, BBDO, Design Hotels, Condé Nast Media, and Omnicom.
Chris presented Channel 4 TV’s five-part series Home of the Future and is a SuperBoard member of The British Fashion Council’s Fashion Trust.
DR. POONAM DESAI
Founder, Longevity Place
Dr. Poonam Desai is a double board-certified and double fellowship-trained physician specializing in lifestyle medicine. A renowned celebrity physician, TEDx speaker, and founder of Longevity Place, Poonam leads a premier clinic in New York that integrates cutting-edge science with personalized medicine to optimize health and promote longevity. Her interests span gut health, hormone health, and toxin-free living, offering concierge-level care tailored to each individual.
Dr. Desai has held leadership roles as Medical Director at NEXT|HEALTH and as a physician at Wild Health, two renowned longevity clinics. She is also an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical School.
Combining evidence-based medicine with innovative therapies such as genetic testing, precision nutrition, and fitness optimization, Poonam is recognized for her expertise in disease prevention, anti-aging, and health optimization. She works with high-profile clients worldwide to help them achieve their health goals.
CHRIS RINSCH, PH.D.
Co-Founder + President, Timeline
Chris Rinsch is co-founder and President of Timeline. For more than two decades, he has been an innovator in the life sciences arena. Before founding Timeline in 2007, he worked in venture capital investing in pioneering life sciences companies in the nutrition space and in biotechnology. Chris has authored original publications in leading scientific journals, including Nature Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and others, for his research on healthy aging, Urolithin A, and mitochondrial health. He is also an inventor of several global patents. Chris holds a master of business administration degree from INSEAD, a PhD in cell and molecular biology from the University of Lausanne, a master of science degree in biomedical engineering from UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College.
RISHABH KALA, PH.D.
Director, Advanced Technologies, Skin Biology, The Estée Lauder Companies
Dr. Rishabh Kala is a scientist and innovation leader specializing in epigenetics and longevity research. As Director of Advanced Technologies at The Estée Lauder Companies, he drives scientific strategy and product innovation across skincare and wellness. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Kala has co-founded a biotech startup, served on scientific advisory boards, and is widely published in the fields of aging, nutrition, and biomarker science.
ARMAAN MEHTA
Co-Founder, Odore
Armaan Mehta is the co-founder of Odore, a platform that helps beauty brands build and manage engaged creator communities. He works with global enterprises like L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Coty, and others as well as emerging brands like Arkive and Dr. Idriss, helping them scale their ambassador programs and strengthen creator relationships. Odore focuses on long-term community building, equipping brands with the tools to recruit, manage, and retain nanoinfluencers and brand fans. The platform fosters lasting brand loyalty, providing detailed analytics to measure engagement and performance.
With expertise in creator marketing and brand advocacy, Armaan frequently speaks at industry events and podcasts, sharing insights on community-driven growth. He has spoken at WWD Beauty CEO Summit, Glossy Summit, Beautyworld, and other leading conferences, shaping conversations on user-generated content, creator retention, and community-driven growth. Through Odore, he helps brands navigate the evolving digital landscape, bridging the gap between technology, creators, and marketing teams to build authentic, long-term brand advocacy.
DR. AKEMI OOKA
VP, Supply Chain & Sustainability Resources, Independent Beauty Association
With over 20 years of CPG experience, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, Akemi’s experience ranges from product development to sourcing and supply chain transformation. Akemi has run chemical procurement at The Clorox Company, formulation and fragrance development at method, and was most recently VP of Product at J.R. Watkins, overseeing development, quality, regulatory compliance, claim support, and third-party manufacturing oversight for hand care, personal care, home care, and OTC remedies. She now heads up the Independent Beauty Association’s (IBA) global supply chain and sustainability programming, supporting small to medium-sized businesses in the beauty and personal care sector. Akemi holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles.
ERIN DWYER
Operating Advisor, GroundForce Capital
Erin Dwyer is a beauty and marketing executive with 20 years of experience spanning digital marketing, strategy, product, and brand development. Her beauty industry tenure includes leading digital efforts at Drunk Elephant and OUAI, where she pioneered Amazon channel launches. She recently took a brand from inception to Sephora in just ten months.
Beginning her career in online gaming in 2005, Erin mastered CRM, e-commerce, and performance marketing, conducting customer acquisition cost (CAC) to lifetime value (LTV) analysis since 2004. As an early Amazon advocate, she’s guided brands to channel success since 2017. Her agency background includes DDB, Chiat/Day, and J. Walter Thompson. Erin’s expertise helps brands scale across technology, beauty, consumer packaged goods, and entertainment.
MONIFA BROWNE
SVP of Digital & Brand, NuFACE
Monifa Browne is the Senior Vice President of Digital at NuFACE, where she applies her 15+ years of expertise to oversee brand marketing, e-commerce, performance marketing, and Amazon. Monifa plays a crucial role in driving revenue for NuFACE.com and Amazon, enhancing brand visibility, boosting digital growth, and elevating overall performance.
Before joining NuFACE, Monifa oversaw digital/growth at OUAI, a Procter & Gamble Company, where she led impactful initiatives that drove significant revenue growth, achieved an award-winning digital advertising presence, and led Amazon to be the #1 growth channel for sales. Prior to OUAI, Monifa oversaw e-commerce and digital marketing at Roller Rabbit, managing a major website launch for a traditional wholesale and brick-and-mortar company, as well as implementing data-driven strategies that made the .com the #1 selling channel.
Earlier in her career, Monifa developed and executed notable brand campaigns with key retailers in the UK like Harrods, Sweaty Betty, Topshop, and the Boohoo Group.
