Ulta Beauty reveals leadership changes

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Dec 18, 2019

Ulta Beauty revealed on Tuesday a series of leadership changes, as the cosmetics company continues to position itself for continued long-term growth.

 
The Illinois-based company unveiled a number of expanded roles for current members including Kecia Steelman, who was named chief store operations officer and president, international, and will take on responsibility for Ulta Beauty’s international growth.
 
Moreover, Monica Arnaudo was promoted to chief merchandising officer to lead merchandising and assortment strategy, while Shelley Haus was promoted to chief marketing officer to lead all brand building and consumer initiatives.

Finally, Prama Bhatt was promoted to chief digital officer and will oversee digital, including digital innovation, and e-commerce.
 
“Ulta Beauty’s continued success is fueled by a strong leadership team, a winning culture and organizational design that aligns to our strategy and most effectively serves our guests and our associates,” said Mary Dillon, chief executive officer, in a news statement.
 
“I am proud to elevate these leaders who have played a pivotal role scaling our business for growth and achieving our vision.”
 
Dave Kimbell will continue serving as Ulta Beauty president, overseeing merchandising, marketing, digital functions and the corporate strategy team.
 
“With this world-class leadership team, Ulta Beauty will continue to deliver an unrivaled in-store experience and merchandising assortment, drive our digital innovation and engagement, and continue to establish ourselves as a powerful and meaningful brand,” added Kimbell. 
 
The appointments come after the beauty company reported increased sales and diluted earnings per share for the third quarter ended November 2, 2019. 
 
The retailer announced net sales of $1.68 billion, up 7.9 percent from $1.56 billion in the prior-year period, while comparable sales rose 3.2 percent.
 
During the quarter, Ulta opened 31 stores and closed three, finishing the period with a total of 1,241 locations. The company expects to have opened a total of around 80 new stores by the end of the year.  
 
The news also comes shortly after the company waved goodbye to Tara Simon, senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty. Simon joined Ulta in 2012 as vice president of prestige beauty and is credited with prompting the beauty retailer’s sudden growth.