Ulta Beauty Names Lauren Brindley Its First Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer
Ulta Beauty has named Lauren Brindley its new chief merchandising and digital officer.
Brindley assumes the role June 3, following the retirement of Chief Marketing Officer Monica Arnaudo.
She will have executive responsibility for Ulta’s merchandising, e-commerce, wellness and marketplace strategies. Brindley also will lead the retailer’s assortment brand-building strategy.
When Arnaudo revealed her plans to retire, Kecia Steelman, president and CEO of Ulta Beauty, had a new role in mind — a chief merchandising and digital officer — because she wanted to pull digital and e-commerce from marketing and place it with merchandising.
Steelman wanted to keep the consumer — the driver for the company’s decisions, she stressed — at the center. "Streamlining that thought process and combining those roles in one is what I believe is going to take Ulta Beauty to the next level," she said at J.P. Morgan’s 11th Annual Retail Round Up Conference earlier this month.
Learn From Ulta
Erin Houg, Ulta Beauty VP and Head of UB Media, is part of a panel on leveraging customer insights on May 8 at Retail Media Summit. She'll be joined by Steve Baxter (Ovative Group), Matt O'Grady (Dunnhumby) and Claire Wyatt (The Trade Desk).
For details and registration, visit p2piretailmediasummit.com
Ulta is the top beauty retailer in the U.S., and Steelman wants a solid hold on its lead, citing execution, getting back to basics, brand building, digital acceleration and personalization as ways to fuel and maintain momentum. Wellness is a booming category, and Ulta is leaning hard there.
Retail media plays a critical role as well, and Ulta will continue to lean into its UB Media so brands can communicate with the consumer and drive growth.
Before announcing Brindley’s hire, Steelman hinted at what kind of candidate they were looking for: someone who can build a strong future-facing team, with experience that runs the gamut from mass to luxury and everything in between.
Brindley brings more than two decades of global beauty and retail expertise to her new role. Most recently she was chief executive officer of Revolution Beauty. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at Walgreens and Boots UK.
Brindley will also form a “trifecta” — per Steelman — working closely with Kelly Mahoney, chief marketing officer, and Amiee Bayer-Thomas, chief retail officer.
"Providing our guests with the best beauty and wellness assortment while building strong, strategic partnerships with our brands is critical to Ulta Beauty’s future growth,” Steelman said in a media release. “I’m confident Lauren is the right person to fuel our continued success. She is a proven, strategic leader with deep industry expertise, a global perspective and a passion for beauty that aligns with our vision for the future."
"I am truly honored to join Ulta Beauty and build upon the company’s exceptional legacy of innovation and impact," Brindley said. "As a longtime admirer of the brand, I’m thrilled to step into this role and work alongside an incredible leadership team to help shape the next chapter of growth and continue to elevate the beauty experience for guests and partners alike."
Into 2025 and beyond, Ulta Beauty is remaining focused on growth, adding more events and being the exclusive retailer of brands such as Beyonce's Cecred haircare.
