Hiya and welcome to Fashionable CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content material officer of Mansueto Ventures. Every week this article explores inclusive approaches to management drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Quick Firm. For those who obtained this article from a buddy, you may sign up to get it yourself each Monday.
After we named Tarang Amin Modern CEO of the Year in December 2024, the E.l.f. Magnificence chairman and chief government had racked up a string of notable successes. Underneath Amin’s management, the publicly traded cosmetics firm had posted 23 consecutive quarters of web gross sales and market share progress. E.l.f. gained plaudits for cheeky marketing efforts resembling a coffin-shaped make-up package collaboration with beverage firm Liquid Loss of life. One other initiative championed company board range by way of its “So Many Dicks” marketing campaign, which cites analysis exhibiting that males named Richard, Rick, or Dick outnumber ladies and various administrators serving on public firm boards. Certainly, such daring advertisements helped land Kory Marchisotto, E.l.f.’s chief advertising and marketing officer, on Quick Firm’s 2024 record of CMOs of the Year as a part of its Manufacturers That Matter program.
In distinction, this yr has been a rockier one for Amin. In Might, the corporate, whose E.l.f. skincare and cosmetics merchandise promote at inexpensive value factors, stated it could increase costs on all its merchandise by $1 to offset the impression of recent tariffs. (The corporate has stated 75% of its merchandise are made in China.) In August, E.l.f. stated it could not present shareholders with a monetary outlook for its full fiscal yr ending March 31, 2026, citing the “big selection” of potential impacts from these tariffs. That very same month, it launched a parody advert that includes comic Matt Rife that confronted social media backlash as commenters highlighted jokes Rife made about home violence in a Netflix particular.
Many CEOs may retreat from public view or tread rigorously on this surroundings, however not Amin. Forward of our seek for the 2025 Fashionable CEO of the 12 months (extra on that in a second), Amin sat with me for a wide-ranging interview on the challenges of 2025, E.l.f.’s blockbuster $1 billion acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode model, and why the corporate is increasing its Change the Board Game effort amid assaults on range packages. Listed below are the highlights in Amin’s personal phrases:
Responding to tarrifs
Buyer suggestions on increased costs: “We introduced [the $1-per-item price increases] to our neighborhood three months earlier than we took costs up. . . . The response from our neighborhood truly was fairly optimistic. They love the truth that we’re not attempting to tug one over their eyes; that we’re clear.”
Shareholder communications after pulling full-year steerage: “We simply reported our twenty sixth consecutive quarter of web gross sales and market share beneficial properties. What we emphasize with our buyers is that we take a really long-term view. For those who’re apprehensive about short-term tariff impacts, perhaps we’re not the inventory for you.”
The Matt Rife controversy
Acknowledging the error: “On this onetime publish, we clearly missed the mark. We’re all about delighting our neighborhood. This didn’t delight our whole neighborhood. And for that we apologize. I personally take that critically.”
Staying edgy: “We clearly missed the mark on this one. Let’s study from it, however don’t lose [our] mojo. Don’t turn out to be scared. Don’t turn out to be secure.”
Shopping for Rhode
Why Rhode stood out: “I’ve by no means seen a model that went from zero to $212 million in web gross sales in lower than three years [by selling] direct to client solely with simply 10 merchandise. It’s simply unimaginable by way of success.”
Hailey Bieber, acqui-hire: “Our strategy to M&A is totally different than quite a lot of corporations’. We by no means do synergy math or attempt to determine the place we are able to save. It’s all about progress for us. And so one of many conditions we now have is we wish your complete group. Our strategy is, ‘Okay, how can we enable you to? How can we enable you to speed up what you’re already doing rather well?’”
Doubling down on board range
Change the Board Recreation 2.0: “We introduced coalition companions that need to be a part of us [in supporting boardroom inclusivity]. We’re going to proceed to beat the drum, as a result of these aren’t issues that we do as a marketing campaign. These are issues we imagine in.”
Who’s the fashionable CEO of 2025?
For the second yr, Fashionable CEO is searching for to acknowledge an government who embodies the management qualities this article has sought to focus on, resembling selling innovation, nurturing expertise, and fostering excellence. Please fill out this form to appoint a chief government—or your self. We’ll dedicate a column in December to the Fashionable CEO of the 12 months.
Learn and watch: CEOs on our radar
Brian Niccol’s daring Starbucks redesign
How the CEOs of Ohai.ai and FinMkt make innovation work for them
Figma is rising quick underneath cofounder and CEO Dylan Field
