05.24.22
Glossier founder and CEO Emily Weiss has announced that she will be stepping down from her current role at Glossier.
Kyle Leahy, who joined Glossier as its first chief commercial officer in 2021, will step up and succeed Weiss as CEO of the company, effective immediately.
From building omnichannel marketplace strategy at Nike, to leading the reinvention and acceleration of Cole Haan, to driving digital innovation at American Express, Leahy has spent her career setting strategy and aligning operational execution to build enterprise value and maximize brand potential.
“Her balance of art and science, coupled with her huge heart (the world needs empathetic leadership now more than ever), will enable us to continue to invest in the products and experiences that will change how the world sees beauty for years to come,” Weiss added.
Meanwhile, Weiss will step into the role of executive chairwoman, working closely with Leahy and the company’s board on stewarding Glossier into 2025, 2030 and beyond.
“With this CEO evolution, I’ll be able to focus more of my time as I did in the earlier days—supporting our brilliant leaders of creative, brand, product and retail, as they take our customer experience innovation to new heights,” Weiss explained.
At the time, Weiss admitted that the company had made “some mistakes” over the past two years. “We prioritized certain strategic projects that distracted us from the laser-focus we needed to have on our core business: scaling our beauty brand.” She also noted that Glossier “got ahead of ourselves on hiring.”
Kyle Leahy, who joined Glossier as its first chief commercial officer in 2021, will step up and succeed Weiss as CEO of the company, effective immediately.
A ‘New Direction’ for Glossier
“Every year I reflect on Glossier, and specifically, the ever-evolving role of the CEO in our young company’s lifecycle. I check in and ask myself the same question: Am I the best person to lead the company, for where we are and where we’re headed? And if not, who is?” Weiss said. “This year, as has often been the case with some of our proudest and most pivotal moments at Glossier, a person inspired a new direction: her name is Kyle Leahy, and I’m thrilled to announce that she’s stepping up into the CEO role.”From building omnichannel marketplace strategy at Nike, to leading the reinvention and acceleration of Cole Haan, to driving digital innovation at American Express, Leahy has spent her career setting strategy and aligning operational execution to build enterprise value and maximize brand potential.
“Her balance of art and science, coupled with her huge heart (the world needs empathetic leadership now more than ever), will enable us to continue to invest in the products and experiences that will change how the world sees beauty for years to come,” Weiss added.
Meanwhile, Weiss will step into the role of executive chairwoman, working closely with Leahy and the company’s board on stewarding Glossier into 2025, 2030 and beyond.
“With this CEO evolution, I’ll be able to focus more of my time as I did in the earlier days—supporting our brilliant leaders of creative, brand, product and retail, as they take our customer experience innovation to new heights,” Weiss explained.
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This news comes months after Glossier let go of about a third of its corporate workforce.At the time, Weiss admitted that the company had made “some mistakes” over the past two years. “We prioritized certain strategic projects that distracted us from the laser-focus we needed to have on our core business: scaling our beauty brand.” She also noted that Glossier “got ahead of ourselves on hiring.”