Glossier Founder Emily Weiss: On Changes and Stepping Down as CEO
Emily Weiss, the founder of millennial cult-favorite beauty brand, Glossier, stepped down as CEO and is giving birth in June.
Emily Weiss has truly made a name for herself in both the publishing and beauty industries. She first rose to fame in 2007 when she appeared on the second season of MTV’s The Hills. She was an intern at Teen Vogue who earned the moniker The Super Intern.
The Beginnings of Glossier
Eventually, in 2010 she started a beauty website called Into The Gloss, which formed a huge and loyal community. The community consisted of mostly millennials who wanted more out of big brands. Simultaneously, these brands struggled to reach their millennial audience.
It was through this community of beauty enthusiasts that Emily observed a huge disconnect between beauty companies and consumers. She calls this a seismic shift in the power dynamic. But by listening to her audience, she discerned exactly what products they wanted. And thus, the birth of Glossier in 2014—an unstoppable billion-dollar beauty brand that the new generation adores to this day.
Stepping Down as CEO
In a recent Instagram post as well as a blog post on Glossier’s website, Emily Weiss shared that she is stepping down as the brand’s Chief Executive Officer. “If there’s one thing that’s certain in the life of building a company—I guess, if there’s one thing that’s certain in life—it’s change, which is often growth, which is the stuff that evolution is made of.”
“I’ve had the privilege of not just being Glossier’s founder since 2014. But also its CEO—two roles that have brought me into communion with tens, hundreds, millions of the most inspiring people inside our company and around the world, building the foundations of this magical brand that has already, in a short time, changed a 100-year old industry by flipping the paradigm from beauty as a ‘final destination,’ to beauty as a journey.”
Forever Glossier’s Founder
Emily shares that she will always be Glossier’s founder. However, she believes a CEO is a champion that a company looks to—to lead it into tomorrow. “From my observation, the greatest companies in the world make sure that the CEO seat is always filled with the right person to take it where it needs to go for its brightest next chapter.”
“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? 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.”
Kyle Leahy, Mother of Two, is the New CEO of Glossier
Emily and Kyle met in 2021 while they were looking for a Chief Commercial Officer who could evolve the brand and meet the needs of their global audience. She’s a mother to two young children and wants Glossier to mean even more to future generations.
Emily says of her, “She brings both a deep appreciation of the power of timeless consumer brands and the proven experience of leading large, dynamic organizations through transformational moments. Kyle 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.”
“Please join me in welcoming Kyle as the next CEO of Glossier. I’m beaming ear-to-ear writing these words. It’s with a great deal of peace in my heart and optimism for the future of this brand that is, truly, only in its infancy—and means so much to so many.”
Emily Weiss: First-Time Mom
Aside from announcing that she is stepping down, Emily showed off her baby bump beside Kyle Leahy. She is due to give birth this June 2022. And though she handed the reigns to Kyle, she will remain active in the company as its Executive Chairwoman. “To be clear, I’m not going anywhere!” she says.
As Executive Chairwoman, she can focus on the areas that she loves—product, brand, and anything that makes her heart beat a little faster. “After I settle into life welcoming this new little heart into existence, soon,” she finishes.
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