Ulta Beauty has appointed Lauren Brindley as its new chief merchandising and digital officer, effective June 3.
Brindley, who most recently served as CEO of Revolution Beauty, previously held senior leadership roles at Walgreens and Boots UK. She succeeds Monica Arnaudo, who announced her plans to retire in November.
“I am truly honored to join Ulta Beauty and build upon the company’s exceptional legacy of innovation and impact,” said Brindley. “As a long-time 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.”
In her new role, Brindley will oversee the company’s merchandising, e-commerce, wellness and marketplace efforts, as well as assortment brand-building strategy. Digital, which used to sit under the chief marketing officer function, will also fall under Brindley’s purview.
Of her new hire, Ulta Beauty president and CEO Kecia Steelman said: “Her strategic mindset, deep industry expertise and passion for beauty give me great confidence as we shape Ulta Beauty’s next chapter of growth. With Lauren at the helm of our merchandising and digital strategies, we will continue building on our commitment to cultivate a world-class assortment and foster meaningful relationships with our brand partners, while inspiring new and exciting possibilities.”
Since stepping into the top job in January, Steelman has been busy building out her C-suite, including naming Kelly Mahoney Ulta Beauty’s new chief marketing officer, overseeing the company’s brand marketing strategy, loyalty, media planning, public relations, consumer insights, and social media and influencer strategy. She succeeded Michelle Crossan-Matos, who departed in January.
This comes as Steelman recently unveiled a new strategy called Ulta Beauty Unleashed, which involves securing more exclusives, optimizing digital capabilities and streamlining costs, to help the retailer compete more effectively against the likes of Amazon and Sephora.
Ulta Beauty lost market share for the first time in 2024 with net sales decreasing 1.9 percent to $3.5 billion in its fourth quarter, while it delivered worse than expected earnings guidance for 2025.
Since taking the reins, Steelman has moved quickly to reinvigorate the business. The company recently announced plans to launch an invite-only marketplace later this year, while it is also gearing up for its first international expansion in Mexico, before entering the Middle East.