06.01.23
Uoma Beauty founder and CEO, Sharon Chuter, has announced she is stepping down as a leader at the brand.
Chuter originally established the business in 2018, with the desire to fill a gap in the beauty market for products which better suited women of color. She also founded the Pull Up for Change initiative, alongside the Make It Black campaign. In 2021, under Chuter’s leadership, the brand launched a limited-edition Black Coming 2 America makeup collection with eye-catching packaging.
Cyndi Isgrig, the former president of Dermstore, is serving as interim CEO while the company searches for Chuter’s replacement.
Although she is stepping away from her role as CEO and board member, she will remain a shareholder and will continue as a “product and creative visionary” for the brand.
In the Instagram post, Chuter also detailed how the “corporate grind” had taken a toll on her body: “I started my 2023 in the hospital in mid Jan. I lost 10kgs in one week, doctors thought it may be stomach cancer but luckily it wasn’t and I’m back ok albeit forced into medical leave which was the true story of my sabbatical.
“I only started going out again in October last year, socializing and trying to find myself again after years of literally office and home - Sometimes going up to three days with no sleep. Building a global business with no cofounder is no easy task.
“I’ve been going HARD and forgot myself in the process,” she said. “It’s time to do LESS and achieve MORE.”
“Through the inspiring leadership of founder and CEO Sharon Chuter, Uoma Beauty has made beauty industry history. Her bold, innovative and inclusive approach to high-quality products remains at the heart of everything we do,” the company said.
Chuter originally established the business in 2018, with the desire to fill a gap in the beauty market for products which better suited women of color. She also founded the Pull Up for Change initiative, alongside the Make It Black campaign. In 2021, under Chuter’s leadership, the brand launched a limited-edition Black Coming 2 America makeup collection with eye-catching packaging.
Cyndi Isgrig, the former president of Dermstore, is serving as interim CEO while the company searches for Chuter’s replacement.
Stepping Down to Pursue Creative Endeavors
Chuter first announced the move on Instagram, stating, “I have left the role of CEO and also from the board of directors. I’m excited to be able to focus all my energies on creative endeavors — product development, campaigns and many more exciting projects within and also outside Uoma beauty.”Although she is stepping away from her role as CEO and board member, she will remain a shareholder and will continue as a “product and creative visionary” for the brand.
In the Instagram post, Chuter also detailed how the “corporate grind” had taken a toll on her body: “I started my 2023 in the hospital in mid Jan. I lost 10kgs in one week, doctors thought it may be stomach cancer but luckily it wasn’t and I’m back ok albeit forced into medical leave which was the true story of my sabbatical.
“I only started going out again in October last year, socializing and trying to find myself again after years of literally office and home - Sometimes going up to three days with no sleep. Building a global business with no cofounder is no easy task.
“I’ve been going HARD and forgot myself in the process,” she said. “It’s time to do LESS and achieve MORE.”
“Through the inspiring leadership of founder and CEO Sharon Chuter, Uoma Beauty has made beauty industry history. Her bold, innovative and inclusive approach to high-quality products remains at the heart of everything we do,” the company said.