Birnur Aral is a prominent figure in the consumer products industry, with over 20 years of experience. She has notably led the Beauty, Health, and Sustainability Lab at Good Housekeeping Institute, overseeing studies in diverse categories. Birnur's work has profoundly influenced Good Housekeeping's audience, engaging over 50 million readers monthly with insightful reviews and content. Her keen eye for quality has been pivotal in the evaluation process for the Good Housekeeping Seal, a symbol of consumer trust in various categories, including cosmetics,OTC drugs, health remedies, and supplements. As a principal organizer of Good Housekeeping’s Raise the Green Bar Sustainability summits, Birnur introduced and managed the brand's Sustainable Innovation Awards. Her academic background comprises a BS in Chemical Engineering from Bogazici University, advanced degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology, and a post-graduate certificate in Sustainability Analytics from Columbia University. Recently, Birnur returned to Stevens Institute of Technology as a part-time researcher while starting her consultancy to assist brands in achieving sustainable growth and earning consumer trust with her vast experience and commitment to sustainability. In addition to her professional achievements, Birnur has contributed as a juror on award panels, moderated panels in the beauty industry, and mentored young entrepreneurs and graduate students. Her research has resulted in scientific publications and patented personal care innovations.

Alyssa Auberger is Baker McKenzie's Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). She is responsible for external and internal sustainability efforts, developing the firm’s multipractice sustainability client offering, as well as overseeing its internal sustainability program, goals, and reporting. Alyssa also maintains the firm’s relationships with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the UN Global Compact and The World Economic Forum, with a keen focus on engaging the business community on sustainability issues and promoting collaboration. Prior to becoming CSO, and with nearly 30 years of transactional experience, Alyssa was an M&A partner ranked by Legal 500 as a “Leading Individual” in luxury goods and led the firm’s Global Consumer Goods and Retail industry group. Alyssa is Franco-American and based in Paris. 

Maggie Ciafardini is a highly respected beauty executive specializing in marketing, sales, and brand development within the high-end makeup/skincare and fragrance industries. After an extensive and successful career 30 year career in the luxury beauty space, Maggie launched her own consulting company, Maggie Ciafardini, Inc, in 2015. She leverages her impeccable relationships with retailers and distributors alike, to help clients by focusing on overseeing the expansion of their business while maintaining brand integrity and structuring / restructuring business models, organizations, and marketing strategies to meet the needs of high-end retailers. 
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Ciafardini was previously Managing Director of the Americas for St Tropez (PZ Cussons Beauty). She was appointed to the position in 2011 built and developed the PZ Cussons Beauty team across the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Brazil; Maggie was CEO of YSL Beauty USA where she led the Beauty and Fragrance Division and was directly responsible for the distribution, sales and marketing functions of this $100+ million business; General Manager for Beaute Prestige International USA managing sales over $50 million; and Executive Director for Sales/Training for Bobbi Brown International, after having held other positions of responsibility at the Estee Lauder Companies in both the domestic and international divisions.  

Amy Nicole Cohen is an entrepreneur and beauty expert and the CEO and founder of Chic Studios School of Makeup. Amy began with her first makeup academy in 2009 in New York City, which quickly grew to include Los Angeles and Denver. Under Amy’s leadership, Chic Studios was able to expand its training during 2020 to successfully launch an online makeup academy. Chic Studios has graduated over 4,500+ professional artists.
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Amy has continued to evolve her career, and in 2022, launched “The Chic Experience,” an experiential events company to connect and inspire like-minded women and creative entrepreneurs worldwide. The successful The Chic Retreat (focusing on self-development), followed by The Chic Summer Series (one-day, mini retreats), and The Chic Summit (a conference focused on business and leadership) are all under “The Chic Experience” umbrella.
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Amy is a regular speaker on panels and regularly contributes to the learning and growth of numerous small community-based nonprofits and small businesses. Originally from Canada, Amy has worked extensively in both Los Angeles and New York City, as a business owner. She  recently moved back to Canada where she currently resides.

Since 2012, Nicole has been disrupting the beauty industry by propelling dynamic start-up companies to prominence. She’s a forward thinking marketing expert and storyteller with deep expertise in brand building, strategy, influencer marketing and social commerce. She’s an entrepreneur with a highly creative mindset who advises and consults for the beauty industry’s most innovative start-up companies that are recreating the space. Nicole was on the founding team that put ipsy on the map before co-founding YUME, a company taking American brands to China. Since 2018, she has consulted for social commerce companies including Creatable, TalkShop Live, Supergreat, and FLIP, as well as luxury beauty brands Augustinus Bader, Orveda andFurtuna Skin. In 2023 she partnered with Corey Weiss & Jules Camposano to launch 213Deli, the first ever text-to-buy service dropping the best in beauty once weekly via text.

Ian Michael Crumm is a celebrity esthetician, content creator, and podcast host. Combined with his esthetician credentials, Ian’s 10+ years of experience in content creation helps him share the often-dense topic of skincare in an accessible way.
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Focused on skin health over skin trends, Ian is particularly passionate about sun safety. He aims to shift public perception of SPF usage and advocates for skin cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. 

Brandon L. Ford, brings his entrepreneurial mindset, passion for learning, and curiosity toward life to his work working with beauty and wellness brands. Brandon is a nurse and attorney with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Case Western Reserve University and juris doctor/master’s degree in business administration from The University of Akron.
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For the past five years, Brandon has led a beauty accelerator―a program that leverages technology, manufacturing, beauty, and home care science expertise to provide market-ready solutions, brand development, and quick innovation. Brandon continues that work as the founder of The Langston Blake Agency.  Hundreds of entrepreneurs have benefitted from his charismatic leadership to launch and develop their beauty and home care brands. He has helped to launch over 100 products globally. Brandon currently resides in Copley, Ohio, with his wife and two sons.

Don has over 35 years of experience in the personal care and cosmetics business and currently serves as President and CEO of the IBA. His experience has primarily been in R&D including formulation, package engineering, safety and toxicology, consumer insights, and regulatory and claims development/substantiation. His professional experience has spanned many companies and brands, both large and small, including Procter & Gamble (P&G), Cover Girl, Gillette, Jafra Cosmetics, Avon, Method, and The Honest Company. He also has experience both domestically as well as internationally including living and working in Japan for two years to help build out P&G’s Asian personal care business. Don has been active in industry organizations having served as Membership Chair and Supply Chain Sustainability Resource Chair for IBA, President of the board for Beauty Industry West, and currently serves on Cradle2Cradle’s Standards Steering Committee.

Tina is a growth-oriented, creative and strategic marketing professional with the reputation of building successful corporate portfolios and entrepreneurial companies in USA, Europe and Asia.

Tina’s corporate career included tenures at L’Oreal, The Estee Lauder Companies and LVMH where she significantly contributed to the global growth of global portfolios across hair, skin, fragrance and beauty.

Tina then turned her focus to startup challenger brands - as a BIPOC founder, advisor and board member - and her experience includes successfully incubating brands across categories as varied as wellness, personal care, consumer package goods, beauty, beverage and tech, always with an emphasis on both innovation for growth and sustainability.

Her current company, LOLI Beauty, was the world’s first zero waste beauty brand. LOLI’s transformative approach to clean, conscious upcycled beauty has garnered LOLI the CEW Sustainability Excellence Award, a Shorty Social Good Award, a Byrdie Eco-conscious Award, and a place as a member of the Tory Burch Fellowship, Grand Central Tech's accelerator and Project Entrepreneur.

Jamé Jackson is an award-winning fashion and beauty on-air expert, media personality, journalist, and the dynamic force behind Misfit Creative Media, in addition to founding TheBlondeMisfit.com—one of the top 100 fashion and beauty sites in the world. Her impressive career includes roles as a senior beauty editor at Yahoo and a style and beauty writer at BuzzFeed. Renowned for her passionate advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as for amplifying multicultural representation within the beauty industry, Jamé's influential work has earned her recognition across the board. In 2016, she was named one of Google’s “Women to Watch,” a testament to her impact and leadership. Her contributions have been celebrated by Business of Fashion, Refinery29, Forbes, HuffPo, Teen Vogue, Allure, and more, marking her as a pivotal voice in today's fashion and beauty conversation.

Tony Jaillot has 28 years of global experience in driving growth across the B2B and B2C beauty and personal care market where he held leadership roles in sales, marketing, strategy, M&A, and general management with BASF, Cargill, and Ciba as well as Univar, and is a renowned industry consultant. Jaillot holds a bachelor’s degree in organic chemistry from Chemistry University of Marseille, France and a master’s degree in cosmetic science from the University of Pharmacy in Nantes, France. Jaillot also has extensive education in business administration and strategy with master’s degrees from IAE France and Executive MBA from INSEAD. He is also an entrepreneur, investor, and coach who is passionately focused on biotech and sustainability for next generation consumer benefits.

Tamar Kamen is a product development, innovation, and marketing beauty industry expert with over 20 years of experience. She has launched dozens of award-winning, best-selling products primarily in skincare. She has worked in senior positions at companies such as Topicals, Peter Thomas Roth, Estée Lauder, and Dr. Brandt and as a consultant for brands such as Tom Ford Beauty, Hero Cosmetics, and Summer Fridays. She has a passion for developing brands of all sizes specializing in strategy, marketing, and product.

As a Global Brand Visionary and Strategic Creative Director, Jeannie Joshi merges creativity, strategy, and design technology, redefining brand engagement and experience globally. With over 19 years of rich experience across creative direction, brand strategy, and design education, she has impacted the beauty, consumer packaged goods (CPG), finance, and medtech sectors.
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Jeannie's collaborations with top agencies and leadership in brand experience include a portfolio with companies such as Moody's, Coach, L'Oréal, Hasbro, and Godiva. Her foray into innovative technologies such as VR and AR underscores her commitment to pioneering human— and non-human-centered design approaches and setting new industry standards.
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An avid advocate for education and professional growth, Jeannie serves the academic community as a visiting professor and adjunct at institutions like Pratt Institute and CUNY. She instructs a graduate student cohort on design systems, ecological design, and cross-disciplinary communications. Her prior nomination as a Fulbright semi-finalist for ethnographic research and her recent role as an invited panelist at Fairfield University to discuss AI's impact on art and humanities underscore her dedication to advancing the field and nurturing the next generation of creatives. Jeannie continues to shape the future of brand experience and strategic design through her thought leadership and relentless pursuit of innovation.

As a C-level executive with more than 25 years of experience creating and building visionary brands, Deanna Kangas is a proven industry leader when it comes to turning around both growing and established businesses. Deanna works with top private equity firms to analyze the purchase potential of beauty companies, and was instrumental in the launch of Florency by Mills and the new brand GXVE by Gwen Steffani. She was also part of the founding team of Ouai, the social media-driven, global haircare brand. 
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A true expert in the industry, Deanna has lent her considerable skills in growing companies and her exceptional creativity to a number of corporations in various stages of growth.  She spent five years as CEO at Stila Cosmetics where she was charged with (and succeeded at) getting the company back on track. Prior to her work at Stila, Deanna turned around the Barbie Collectors division of Mattel, founded online beauty retailer Gloss.com, and launched Michael Jordan Cologne at XEL.
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Deanna is an active board member of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles (CIS), Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW), and Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).

Retail maven and brand creator, Millie has been instrumental in the success of cult brands including Shu Uemura, Aveda, Tweezerman, L’Occitane, and Ruby & Millie. Having worked with the UK’s leading retailers, Millie has been creating and marketing beauty brands for the past 30 years. Millie was awarded an MBE in 2007 for her services to the cosmetic industry, and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for services to the hair and beauty industry. In 1998, Millie and Ruby Hammer launched Ruby & Millie, the first mid-priced makeup brand to cut across existing price and brand perception barriers, launching first in Harvey Nichols, then Selfridges, and simultaneously going on to retail successfully in Boots. Millie has also collaborated with beauty journalists and Vogue beauty editor Anna-Marie Solowij to launch revolutionary retail concepts like BeautyMart. In 2015, alongside Solowij, Millie launched the PR company Brandstand Communications. In 2018, Millie Kendall, Anna-Marie Solowij, and Kate Shapland (former  Beauty Director of The Telegraph) founded the British Beauty Council, a nonprofit organization that aims to support a successful, innovative, and inclusive British beauty industry.

Richard is a Partner of Triangle Capital, advising clients in merchandising businesses, particularly in retail and consumer. Richard is an often-quoted expert on the retail and merchandising industries and a contributing writer to Forbes.com. Richard was previously a Managing Director at Financo, Inc. Before Financo, Richard was a Partner and First Vice President at Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. where he ran a group of 14 professionals doing middle-market mergers and acquisitions. Richard is the co-author of three books on finance and computer programming and a former Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Business at New York University. Richard received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from New York University and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Harvard University

Ginger King is an award-winning cosmetic chemist and the founder of  Grace Kingdom Beauty a cosmetic product development firm in New Jersey specializing in creating beauty brand from concept to launch including formulation.
 
Ginger holds multiple patents and awards in beauty and prides herself on being Allure magazine’s Beauty Judge for Breakthrough Products since 2017, Yahoo’s Diversity In Beauty Award 2018, Beauty Packaging Award Judge 2019, and New Beauty Magazine Brain Trust since 2020 and Iconic Fragrance Judge for Elle Magazine 2023.  In addition to consulting, Ginger’s latest venture is  FanLoveBeauty  a clean vegan beauty brand inspired by mentor Daymond John of Shark Tank to take care of entrepreneurs’ appearance so they can keep crushing on their goals.
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She has been quoted by over 40 beauty magazines including Allure, Self, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, Shape, Vogue, Oprah, WWD, and Women’s Health. She has been the keynote speaker for brand launches and has spoken at various s trade conferences on product development and innovation. Ginger is also a regular TV beauty segment contributor on Good Day Sacramento.

Iryna Kremin, the founder of INNOCOS (INNOvation in COSmetics)―an international thought leadership platform to keep up with latest trends and innovations in beauty and its impact on our lives, commerce, and all things future! Successful businesses are built on good relationships, and it's amazing how a bit of a personal touch can go a long way. To form such relationships, we create unforgettable experiences that are educational, inspirational, and fun!

Current obsession (and new podcast): biohacking for beauty, longevity, and beyond.

Manessa Lormejuste is a beauty scientist and product developer, blending her passion andscientific expertise to create products that truly make a difference.
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With over seven years of experience, Manessa has held roles at leading companies such as L'Oréal USA, Johnson & Johnson, and Beautycounter. She has a proven track record of developing award-winning products and has been recognized as a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice in Fashion & Beauty. As a tenured professional in the industry, Manessa has a unique perspective on the latest trends and innovations in beauty and personal care. She has honed her skills as a product developer, creating best-selling items across categories including hair, skin, and body care.
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As a self-proclaimed #girlynerd, Manessa's unique perspective and ability to simplify complex scientific concepts have earned her recognition in major publications such as Ebony Magazine, Byrdie, and more recently, Teen Vogue.
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Manessa’s expertise in the field has made her a sought-after voice and trailblazer in the industry, offering valuable insights across different platforms and audiences. Manessa earned a bachelor of arts degree in chemical biology and a master of business and science degree in personal care from Rutgers University, forming the bedrock of her journey as a beauty scientist and product developer.

A native of Afghanistan, Matin was first introduced to the artistry of makeup by a college roommate. Realizing he had a natural proclivity, Matin began working part time as a makeup artist to help subsidize his master’s degree in molecular biology. After a brief time working as a research scientist, Matin began to miss the creative and collaborative process that the beauty industry provides and ultimately changed careers.
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Matin has worked with entertainment’s most sought-after clientele such as Claire Danes, Lupita Nyong’o, Angelina Jolie, Cynthia Nixon, Awkwafina, Mandy Moore, and Rachel Weisz, to name a few. His work has graced the covers of leading fashion publications, and he has collaborated with top beauty brands such as Laura Mercier, Neutrogena, and Clinique, in addition to his current role as brand ambassador for ChapStick. Matin is also an ardent believer in clean beauty. This passion led to his participation on the Credo panel to discuss the benefits of clean beauty products on the skin. 

Ocean McDaeth is a hairstylist and independent educator located in Portland, Oregon. She works at Dreamboat Salon behind the chair and is their Director of Education. Ocean has been featured in InStyle magazine, Modern Salon Magazine, and was a finalist in the Behind The Chair OneShot Awards 2023.

Candace Mitchell Harris is a pioneering force at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and purpose-driven leadership. Beginning at the start of establishing Atlanta in the national startup ecosystem, Candace's journey as a computer scientist and visionary entrepreneur is marked by a profound commitment to transforming lives through innovation.

As the Founder & CEO of MYAVANA, a groundbreaking beauty tech company, Candace pioneered a new market segment of personalized hair care and spearheaded a revolution in the haircare industry. Under Candace's leadership, MYAVANA has not only pioneered AI recognition for textured, multicultural hair but has also amassed the world's largest database of hair care data. Trusted by industry giants like Ulta, Unilever, Sephora, and Amazon, MYAVANA's scientific methodology stands as a beacon of innovation and reliability for all hair textures and ethnicities.

Carmine Montalto is the founder of Carmine Montalto INK and the creative force behind The Skincarma Blog. Based in Brooklyn, Carmine is a veteran copywriter, brand guru, and skincare junkie with 25+ years in beauty. Over the course of his career, he’s conceived, refined, and helped bring to life brand identities for numerous notable brands that span skincare, haircare, and makeup—including Kiehl’s, Pavīse, Toty, and Living Proof. Harnessing his copywriting expertise, knowledge of ingredients and formulations, and consumer insights, he’s crafted packaging copy and named hundreds of products for Kiehl’s, Dr. Jart+, Peace Out, philosophy, Kate Somerville, and dozens more.

Through his popular Skincarma Blog, Carmine puts his extensive product wisdom and expertise to work demystifying skincare with insightful product reviews and sage advice on skin health. In addition to his own blog, he’s written comprehensive articles on skincare routines, skin health, sunscreen, photoaging, and the skin barrier for the blogs of Skinfix, RoC and ZO Skin Health.

Edwin Neill, CEO of the Neill Companies is responsible for the overall strategy and business of Neill, including the primary businesses of Aveda Distribution, Aveda Arts and Sciences Institutes, Neill Fulfilment and Paris Parker Salons. Active in all areas of the business, his previous roles with Neill have included Distribution Management, Executive Vice President and CFO.

Prior to rejoining his family business, Edwin practiced commercial litigation at the New Orleans law firm of Stone Pigman. He served as the Chairman of the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology and is a past president of the International Spa Association Foundation and past board member of the Professional Beauty Association. He is also a director and officer of the Salon and Spa Relief Fund.

With a passionate focus on research and development in the clean beauty space and a keen understanding of the market trends, Sharonda Newsome currently serves as Director of Scientific Affairs at Happy Farm Botanicals Laboratories. During her six+ years with the ISO certified, Maryland-based custom formulation and manufacturing facility, Sharonda has mentored and collaborated with a team of talented chemists, while herself developing an array of innovative skincare, haircare, and personal care formulas that continue to launch as award-winning, top-selling products in major retailers. Ms. Newsome’s background as an educator and the strong communication skills built from her years teaching, have made her a preferred scientific partner for brands, product consultants, and suppliers alike. She thrives in creating prototypes forher established clients and pioneering sustainable and distinct ingredient combinations with compelling and effective user experiences.

Sharonda holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Howard University and is amember of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Jen Novakovich is a cosmetic scientist, science communicator, founder of The Eco Well, and co-founder of BeautySciComm. Jen began her career working as a cosmetic chemist before she transitioned into science communication and working as a technical consultant. She has developed an expertise in sustainability substantiation, management, and regulations. Through her sci-comm work, she’s interviewed over 1,000 subject matter experts and hosts a regular cosmetic science focused podcast The Eco Well Podcast. She’s also launched several larger scale science conferences and is a regular moderator in industry panels. Jen currently serves on the Supply Chain and Sustainability Resource and Government and Relations advisory committees with the Independent Beauty Association. She completed two bachelor’s of science degrees, a diploma in formulation chemistry, a masters of science in environmental science, and a graduate certificate in environmental policy. She is currently completing a PhD at the University of Ottawa studying the impact of misinformation on sustainable development in the cosmetics sector.

With over 20 years of consumer packaged goods experience from Fortune 500 companies to small start-ups, Akemi’s experience ranges from product development to sourcing and supply chain transformation. Akemi has run chemical procurement at The Clorox Company, formulation and fragrance development at Method, and was most recently Vice President of Product at J.R. Watkins, overseeing development, quality, regulatory compliance, claim support, and third-party manufacturing oversight for hand care, personal care, home care, and over-the-counter remedies. She now heads up the IBA’s global supply chain and sustainability programming, which supports small to medium-sized businesses in the beauty and personal care sector. Akemi holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rutgers University and a PhD in chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Fascinated with the beauty industry, Stacia started her career as a “Saturday girl” for Estée Lauder while still at school. With 30 years of omnichannel beauty buying experience, both in the US and UK, Stacia has launched countless brands into the UK market. She was part of the founding executive team at Cult Beauty. As International Buying Director for over 13 years, her curatorial eye launched brands such as Huda Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Drunk Elephant, Summer Fridays, Tower 28, and many more. Previously she was the Skincare Buyer for QVC UK and the Niche Beauty Buyer at Debenhams. She now works as an independent advisor for start-ups, investors, and established brands, developing strategic plans for brand growth and market expansion.

For over 15 years, Roseanna has established herself as an authority in identifying trends, helping leading brands understand their impact and how to capitalize on them. Called “a bonafide trend expert” by TIME magazine, Roseanna currently leads Global Trend Foresight at the Estée Lauder companies, working across the company’s portfolio of brands, regions, and functions to uncover near- and long-term opportunities that inform product innovation and commercial/marketing activation.

Prior to ELC, Roseanna ran her own consulting practice for the better part of a decade where she partnered with global brands in the beauty sector and beyond. Her work helped a roster of clients that included Coty, Ilia, Shiseido and Walgreens translate emerging shifts within culture, consumer behavior, and the marketplace into creative and strategic actions for their businesses. She has been invited to speak in front of audiences across the US, Europe, and the Middle East and featured as an expert in major publications such as WWD and Refinery29.

Alexis Rodriguez Alvich is an industry-recognized communications leader and brand marketer with over 22 years of experience within the beauty and fashion industries. A proven brand builder, impactful storyteller and keen navigator of strategy, she’s known for shaping consumer-centric, digital-first consumer engagement strategies that drive sales and success for her brands. In 2017, Alexis founded Harper Grey Consulting to focus on creating holistic, breakthrough peer-to-peer marketing programs. Her work is anchored in emotional storytelling that meets consumers where they are and services them beyond product. Her goal is always to turn brand affinity into brand love and to transform brand audiences into engaged brand communities.

Sir Candle Man is a home fragrance and candle creator, personality, author, brand consultant and curator with a mission to illuminate the world with scent, style & inspiration. A trailblazer with over 400K followers, Sir Candle Man is a curator of exquisite perfumes and candles and a connoisseur of travel and home decor, bringing elegance, scent, and style to every aspect of life. He has collaborated with many iconic brands like CHANEL, Target, and Walmart, wrote a warmly received book, "LET IT BURN" and created a candle with LAFCO which Forbes recognized as one of the best-smelling scents of 2023. Sir Candle Man has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, NY Mag, House Beautiful, The Drew Barrymore Show, and GMA.com.

Suveen Sahib has transformed the beauty industry with his brand K18 Biomimetic Hairscience. Utilizing his 20+ years of experience in technology and engineering, Suveen set out to challenge the status quo of haircare by understanding the biology of hair. After 10 years of research mapping to find a sequence that most closely matched the keratin structure of the human hair, Suveen disrupted the industry in 2019 with his debut of K18 and the patented K18PEPTIDE™ which powers the brand’s best-selling Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask.

With his belief that nature is the ultimate designer, Suveen was determined to offer simplicity and speed without compromising hair health and through K18, employed a biology-first approach to hair science while introducing a modern era of haircare with an entirely new category. Following its launch in 2020, K18 quickly became a bestselling brand at beauty retailer Sephora and gained iconic status through its virality as the #1 haircare brand on social media as well as within its close-knit professional community. Suveen is recognized for his pioneering approach and vision with K18 and has attracted worldwideindustry accolades in Forbes, Fast Company, Vogue and more.

Anna Vale is an industry thought leader, speaker, and mentor. As a seasoned marketing and communications expert, Anna partners with beauty founders to provide marketing leadership that scales marketing and communications, builds brand awareness, and fosters consumer engagement.
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During her two decade career, she has held executive leadership roles for top prestige beauty companies in the US, UK, and Middle East. She now combines a big brand mindset with small brand ambition and budgets when partnering and supporting beauty founders on their journey to the next level. Through this modern marketing lens, Anna sharply identifies the right strategy to grow fast and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
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Her experience spans across skincare, fragrance, hair, and makeup including Youth To The People, Crown Affair, Provence Beauty, Tom Ford Beauty, Estée Lauder, La Mer, Hourglass Cosmetics, Kate Somerville, Fable & Mane, Oribe, and Clinique.

5X President CEO/ 2X PubCo President/ CEO: 3 turn-arounds and 2 hyper-growth COs./ Executive and Independent Board Member. Olaplex (OLPX Nasdaq) / Moroccanoil/ Elizabeth Arden (RDEN Nasdaq) / StriVectin/ Astral Brands

Before opening The Young Group in 1999, Karen was Vice President of Marketing, Advertising, and Product Development for Lancôme, the prestige division of L'Oréal. Before joining Lancôme, she spent seventeen years at Estée Lauder, where she held a variety of executive positions, including Executive Director of Color Cosmetics. She is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. Since opening The Young Group, Karen has worked extensively in all categories of the cosmetic industry. She has developed concepts and products for Dove, Bath and Body Works, Neutrogena, Vichy, and Canyon Ranch. She has worked on numerous established brands in the beauty category, including Christian Dior Beauté, Shiseido, Chanel, Parfums Givenchy, Avon, and 3M Products. Karen is an Adjunct Professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, teaching the graduate course in product development. She is also an active board member of Fashion Group International.

Susanah is an accomplished media leader known for advancing brands via innovation and new technology. After beginning her career in Mobile, she went on to excel at Spotify, the world's #1 audio entertainment platform. During her 5-year tenure, she launched Spotify's first Beauty Partnerships Team, addressing a gap in non-visual storytelling within the Beauty industry. Aside from building the team, she developed the initial go-to-market strategy yielding multi-year music and podcast partnerships with the world's biggest beauty portfolios. Fueled by a constant curiosity for new and emerging channels, she transitioned to lead Beauty at SuperAwesome, a division within Epic Games in 2022. Currently serving as Head of Beauty, Retail, and Growth at SuperAwesome, she's focused on facilitating connections between brands and Gen Z/A audiences in top gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox. Along with her team, she guides marketers in crafting responsibly-designed virtual experiences with a suite of services including concept ideation, compliance, game development, influencer/media, and measurement.