Dive Brief:
- Following about three years in the role, Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy will step down at the end of this year, according to a Tuesday LinkedIn post from the executive.
- Leahy will work with the company’s board of directors and brand founder Emily Weiss to identify her successor. Additionally, Leahy will remain on the board through the transition.
- Leahy was tapped for the top leadership position at Glossier in May of 2022, with Weiss stepping down as CEO and transitioning to executive chair at that time.
Dive Insight:
Under Leahy’s leadership, Glossier underwent key changes to its assortment and distribution channels.
“After nearly 4 years stewarding the brand through a period of immense transformation defined by global scale and brand strength, Glossier is larger and more profitable than ever before,” Leahy said on LinkedIn. “With that foundation in place, the Board and I believe this is the right moment to bring in the next CEO to lead a new phase of growth.”
The chief executive called out several Glossier initiatives in her post, including its partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association, and noted that the beauty brand has grown marketplace sales by 80% under her leadership.
Prior to taking over as CEO in 2022, Leahy had joined the beauty brand as its first chief commercial officer the year prior.
Her pivot to CEO came at a challenging time for Glossier, which started the year announcing layoffs and took a blow to its brick-and-mortar sales channel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traditionally operating under a strict direct-to-consumer model, the brand quickly shifted that strategy under Leahy.
Glossier announced its first wholesale deal at Sephora in July 2022, with products officially online and in stores the following year. It is now also distributed through Mecca Brands and Space NK, per Leahy’s LinkedIn post.
The beauty brand also switched up its executive team in March 2023, naming Chitra Balireddi as chief commercial officer, promoting Marie Suter to chief creative director and tapping Kleo Mack for chief marketing officer.
Balireddi left Glossier to become the CEO of skin care brand Nécessaire in January and Mack exited to take on the chief marketing officer role at SharkNinja in May. Glossier did not immediately respond to Retail Dive about successors for these positions.
