Executive Excellency
Here’s to the bosses of beauty: the movers and shakers making an impact in the industry
SVP of Local & Cultural Innovation, Estee Lauder Companies
Susan Akkad
Susan started her career as an assistant at one of the world’s biggest beauty brands. Today, she stands as the SVP of Local & Cultural Innovation at that same place. So, what exactly does that role mean? It means Susan is tirelessly ensuring that her brand, and the more-than-25 brands beneath it, have the right products and communications so women of color around the world can have the meaningful connection with beauty they deserve.
EVP & COO, NA Beauty and Personal Care, Unilever
Esi Eggleston Bracey
“I could use my experience in the industry to do some good.” And Esi has certainly done that. She’s been a force for change in consumer goods for decades. You definitely use a product she’s created. And you most definitely have seen the campaigns she’s championed to change who the faces of makeup are. Today, she leads a multi-billion dollar beauty and personal care portfolio at one of the world’s largest companies. She’s using her years of experience and a childhood of being raised by activists to create a positive impact in the industry.
Beauty Media Entrepreneur
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson
A digital pioneer in fashion and beauty, Kendra Bracken-Ferguson has founded three successful companies and hailed in the Beauty and wellness space as a transformative brand builder and leader. She created the BrainTrust Founders Studio, a community-based platform that provides mentorship, education, resources and capital for Black beauty and wellness Founders. An advocate of impactful inclusion, Kendra is the co-founder of BeautyUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to driving DE&I in the beauty industry and host of Business of the Beat, a beauty and wellness podcast focused on diverse faces in beauty.
Vice President of Marketing, Thrive Causemetics
Tiffani Carter
Tiffani is a natural-born community builder and mold-breaker. In her twenty-year career in beauty, she’s created firsts for some of the biggest names in the industry. Whether it’s the first charity to support women struggling with mental health or the first program that supports influencers, Tiffani is always creating new ways to uplift those around her.
General Manager of Carol’s Daughter & SoftSheen, L’Oreal
Erica Culpepper
When Erica was in college, she read a bio on a female executive in beauty and instantly knew what she wanted to be. She’s made her own dream come true as one of the world’s leading beauty brands’ top executives. And she’s made sure to help women in her community both embrace their unique beauty and build their own successful careers. Whether she’s bringing natural hair care products to the mainstream or mentoring young professionals, she’s uplifting and empowering women of color everywhere.
Founder, Noire Mgmt and SVP of Special Projects, Digital Brand Architects
Ernest James
Ernest is here to make sure diversity isn’t a trend but a foundational shift. He first brought that to life with Noire Management, the agency he founded to champion multicultural talent. And today, he’s amplifying that mission as Senior VP of Special Projects at Digital Brand Architects. With his expertise, he’s helping empower underrepresented groups and their stories. And he’s helping brands authentically connect with audiences they’ve often forgotten. Ernest is changing the social media landscape with more inclusivity and we are here for it.
Senior Director of Content & Comms, StyleSeat
Dana Oliver
Dana does it all. And she does it all exceptionally well. As a journalist, editor, host, blogger, beauty guru and Director of Content at a premier beauty company, she’s always made it her goal to create meaningful work from the POVs of Black women and other marginalized groups. She’s a positive force, always ready, willing, and able to uplift and celebrate her community across all the different industries she’s tapping into.
Global Head of Sales at Fenty Beauty
Aja Robinson
Aja has climbed her way to the highest ranks of beauty. At every step, she’s worked to bring inclusivity to the forefront of the industry with her. Today, one of beauty’s leading brands is being shaped by her commitment to inclusivity. With her work, she’s creating a new benchmark of diversity for other beauty brands to live up to.
Senior Communications, Pinterest, Founder, The Black Beauty Club
Tomi Talabi
When voice-chat platform Clubhouse first started, the conversations were all about business and venture capital. But Tomi saw an opportunity for something much bigger. She used the platform as a way to create a community with The Black Beauty Club. She’s also dishing out info and stories around Black beauty through her site, The Black Beauty Market. With her leadership skills, she’s making the beauty of her community, and the entrepreneurs fueling it, a mainstream conversation for all.
Founder & CEO, Walker & Company Brands, Bevel, C0-Founder of Code 2040
Tristan Walker
“I want to make health and beauty simple for people of color.” That’s the mission fueling Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company Brands and Bevel. People of color make up most of the world, yet the beauty industry doesn’t seem to tailor to their needs. So, Tristan decided to do it himself. He’s creating the beauty solutions he and his community needed growing up. And not only that, he’s creating ways for people of color, Black and Latinx people specifically, to excel in another field that’s too long left them out of the picture: tech. With Code 2040, he’s empowering Black and Latinx engineering students with internships and opportunities.
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