The possibilities are beautiful with Mary Dillon as CEO of Ulta Beauty. The Chicago native has 35 years of experience leading consumer-driven brands in a diverse range of industries, with the common thread being her passion for leveraging customer insights and leading through the lens of culture to build brand engagement and drive results. Since she began leading Ulta Beauty in July 2013, Mary and her team have more than doubled the company’s revenues and vaulted Ulta Beauty to the Fortune 500. Mary leads an associate base of more than 45,000, 92% of whom are women, and, under her leadership, the Board of Directors has become one of the most gender diverse of any large public company in the nation. Mary believes strongly in creating common purpose, removing barriers to inclusion and driving associate engagement through valuing the perspectives of her diverse team.Mary was one of 30 leaders named to Barron’s 2019 list of the World’s Best CEOs. She serves on the Board of Directors for Starbucks Corporation and KKR, Inc. and is the Vice Chair for the Retail Industry Leaders Association. She is also a member of The Business Council.Mary championed the establishment of the Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation, which has donated more than $14 million to nonprofits supporting women and their families since 2016. She also serves on the board of directors for Save the Children. She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and Asian studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
