Glossier CEO Emily Weiss to step down

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
May 25, 2022

Glossier founder Emily Weiss announced on Tuesday in a company blog post that she is stepping down as chief executive officer. 

In turn, Kyle Leahy, who joined the beauty brand in November as its first chief commercial officer, will take over as CEO, effective immediately. Weiss has been CEO since the brand’s founding in 2014. She will remain on the board as executive chairwoman.

“From building omnichannel marketplace strategy at Nike, to leading the reinvention and acceleration of Cole Haan, to driving digital innovation at American Express, Kyle has spent her career setting strategy and aligning operational execution to build enterprise value and maximize brand potential,” Weiss wrote in a blog post.

“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.”

The news of Weiss's departure follows a difficult growth path amid the Covid-19 pandemic for the brand. Glossier opened its first permanent physical location in New York in 2018 and quickly became a star social media brand, but it was forced to shutter all stores, and to lay off all of its retail employees in 2020. Earlier this year, it again laid off a third of its workforce. 

Glossier has since opened three stores including in Los Angeles, Seattle and London, and made changes to its executive team. 

Most recently, in April, it partnered with Olivia Rodrigo as the beauty brand's first-ever celebrity ambassador. Next, Weiss said that it is working on its New York flagship store design, which will make a return to SoHo in early 2023.