According to Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman, being passed over for a position is a common occurrence in one's professional path. When faced with such a disappointment, it's best to handle it with poise and determination, rather than bitterness.
TL;DR
- Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman advises handling missed opportunities with poise, not bitterness.
- Steelman became Ulta CEO in January 2025 after 11 years, preparing extensively for the role.
- Ulta's stock rose 26% year-to-date; the company partnered with Beyoncé for her Cowboy Carter tour.
- Steelman focused on recovery strategy, including AI integration and loyalty members, despite a dissolved Target partnership.
“There have been times in all of our careers where we’ve been passed up, or we didn’t get that next role when we felt like we were ready for it,” Steelman said at Coins2Day’s Most Powerful Women Conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. “And I said that the one thing that’s really true to me is, I think that you can either choose to be bitter or you can be better.”
Steelman assumed the chief executive position at the beauty company in January 2025, following an 11-year tenure where she most recently served as chief operating officer. Ulta's stock has seen a 26% increase year-to-date, and the company partnered with Beyoncé earlier this year as part of her Cowboy Carter tour, which included hosting in-store events and endorsing the pop star's Cécred hair line.
For years, the CEO underwent preparation for her upcoming position, mentored by Former Ulta executive Dave Kimball, who took the helm of the beauty company in 2021.
“I learned as much as I could to prepare myself for the next role, and I think that actually allowed me to hit the ground running,” Steelman said. “If I would have been bitter, I could have left and taken a CEO job someplace else. I had plenty of opportunities, but this is the company that I wanted to be with, and I took that opportunity to be better instead of being bitter.”
Steelman’s CEO road and roadbumps
Before joining Ulta, Steelman started her professional journey in 1993 as an assistant store manager at Target, subsequently advancing her career at the large retail chain. She subsequently occupied senior management positions at Home Depot and Family Dollar.
Since taking over as Ulta CEO ten months ago, Steelman has focused on implementing the company's recovery strategy. This includes integrating implement agentic AI into the customer journey and cultivating a large base of loyalty members, who continue to purchase still spending beauty items despite economic instability.
The road hasn’t been entirely smooth. In August, Ulta and Target ended a shop-in-shop partnership that began in 2021. Target employees had shared experiences online of the shopping experience being underwhelming and instances of shoplifting and understaffing. Steelman said the ending of the partnership was a mutual decision and a “natural occurrence of business.”
“We had to get our swagger back,” she said of Ulta’s turnaround. “I felt like we lost our swagger just a little bit, and I feel like we’ve got our swagger back.”