Sophie Bai was selected to enroll in the National Science Program at the age of 14 to compete in science internationally on behalf of China. She discovered an anti-aging compound at the age of 16, and a minor planet (Planet No.25045) was named after her by NASA and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory to recognize her scientific accomplishment. She studied chemical engineering with a focus on biomedical engineering at MIT where she worked with David H. Koch Institute Professor Robert Langer developing various drug delivery technologies to find cures for prostate cancer, lung cancer, and type I diabetes. Sophie has invented, co-invented, and patented multiple proprietary molecules to provide cures and treatment for atopic dermatitis (eczema), skin cancer, and skin aging.
Prior to founding B.A.I. Biosciences, Inc., Sophie was a healthcare and life sciences investor at Bain Capital Private Equity and a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group advising pharmaceutical and beauty companies. Sophie received her Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from MIT and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She was elected as the Blavatnik Fellow in Life Sciences Entrepreneurship at Harvard University shortly after founding B.A.I.. Sophie is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology.
André Branch is a general manager with a strong marketing core who is a passionate brand builder. André is currently Senior Vice President and General Manager, MAC North America at Estée Lauder Companies (ELC). Prior to joining ELC, André worked at several world class consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. At L’Oréal, he ran Digital and Ecommerce Operations for the US. He also led some of the company’s most iconic luxury brands such as Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, Stella McCartney, and Ralph Lauren.
After L’Oréal, André joined The Nature’s Bounty Co. as part of the executive team put in place by private equity firm, The Carlyle Group. He was there in various roles: as the Chief Marketing Officer of the CPG division, a $2 billion entity and finally, as the President of E-Commerce. Before L’Oréal, André spent eight years at Diageo where he oversaw some of the world’s leading spirit brands, including Cuervo tequila, Smirnoff vodka, and Johnnie Walker scotch whisky. In his final role at Diageo, he was Global Marketing Head of the Diageo Reserve Portfolio, a $700 million collection of luxury spirits.
André holds a BA in economics from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
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.
LinkedInNyakio (pronounced Neh-Kay-Oh) Grieco is a beauty entrepreneur and advocate for clean, inclusive beauty that suits all skin types, tones, and needs. As a veteran beauty founder and trusted voice in the industry, Nyakio has launched two successful businesses: Her award-winning eponymous brand Nyakio, based on her family’s Kenyan beauty secrets and launched in 2002, and the inclusive beauty e-commerce destination, Thirteen Lune, launched with co-founder Patrick Herning in 2020.
It was during the racial reckoning of 2020 that Nyakio was inspired to launch Thirteen Lune. She observed the continued misconception that BIPOC beauty founders were only creating product for BIPOC consumers. Thus, Thirteen Lune launched as the first-of-its-kind, e-commerce destinationdesigned to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by BIPOC founders that resonate with people of all colors.
Continuing her commitment to inclusive beauty and with a deep understanding of where the niche was in the market, Nyakio created Relevant: Your Skin Seen—a clean, science-led skincare brand that works for all skin tones and types.
As a dedicated activist and mentor, Nyakio sits on the boards of Girls Inc. Los Angeles, Legacy Youth Leadership, and BeautyUnited.
Carrie Gross began her career in the fashion world as a merchandising director overseeing both domestic and international women’s fashion markets, tracking trends and analyzing consumer behaviors. After 12 years in the fashion industry, Carrie was inspired by the birth of the famed Alpha Beta Peel to change career paths. She left her position to co-found a cosmeceutical skincare line with her husband, Dr. Dennis Gross, that developed innovative products featuring clinical ingredients and offering in-office results. She continues to draw inspiration from her global travels and meeting people who are seeking answers to aging, confidence to show off their skin, and craving a regime designed for both preventative and corrective concerns. Carrie is an active member of the International Spa Association (ISPA) and Cosmetic Executive Women and has spoken at national Sephora events and Women’s Wear Daily forums across the country.
LinkedInLeslie Ann Hall is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Iced Media, the agency she made famous for helping to build, grow, and exit some of the most beloved beauty brands in the world. She has guided Iced Media to become peerless in its acumen using content, creators, and media in paid social. Leslie is the foremost expert on social media advertising in the beauty industry.
For two decades, brands ranging from L'Oréal, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, Paula’s Choice, Moroccanoil, SkinCeuticals, Kristin Ess, and so many more have relied on Leslie and Iced Media to compete and win in the increasingly saturated beauty, wellness, and lifestyle categories.
Through Iced Media, Leslie supports organizations that align with her values as a BeautyUnited partner, Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Small Business Advisor, and Andreessen Horowitz Talent x Opportunity (TxO) Initiative Mentor. Leslie is a mom of two boys, Jordan and Jude. She splits her time between suburban, NJ, and Cartagena, Colombia. She volunteers for social justice and is a devoted beauty junkie, jogger, and yogi.
Christophe Laudamiel is a master perfumer in fine fragrances and molecular design at Osmo Labs, PBC, following positions at Procter & Gamble (EU, US) and International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (IFF) NYC. He composes for BélAir Lab Tokyo and The Zoo NYC and is the initiator of www.perfumeryethics.org. Christophe has created bestsellers for Abercrombie & Fitch, Béyoncé, Clinique, Thierry Mugler, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, and numerous niche brands. He is the recipient of perfumery and science awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Institute of Art and Olfaction and has been a vocal defender of olfactory art at institutions such as Harvard University, Cornell University, and Sorbonne University as well as The World Economic Forum.
LinkedInBridey-Rae Lipscombe, a seasoned and dynamic leader, co-founded the UK's pioneering social media agency, Rabbit Agency, embarking on her marketing journey at 23. In 2012, she co-established CULT with Cat Turner, merging strategy and creativity for groundbreaking solutions. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, Bridey spearheads culturally astute campaigns for global beauty, fashion, wellness, and luxury brands—including Shiseido Group, Marc Jacobs, Sally Hansen, Colgate Palmolive, Agent Provocateur, Nike, Amazon Fashion, and Milani, among others. Under Bridey's leadership, CULT is thriving in its 11th year, achieving remarkable sustainable production strides resulting in CULT becoming a certified B Corporation.
A standout in Bridey’s journey is her role as co-founder of Metaverse Beauty Week, an inaugural event spanning Spatial, Decentraland, Roblox, and IRL. It reached over two billion people through press coverage, featured in 240+ pieces from 22+ countries, and drew the attention of 30,000 attendees across 50+ countries, featuring brands like Neutrogena, LUSH, Glossy, IAMPROUD, and Lottie London, among others. The success of MBWeek led to Bridey’s latest endeavor—MBWorld—emerging as the voice of new realities for beauty brands.
Moj Mahdara (they/them), is an entrepreneur and CEO. Currently a venture capitalist at two funds, they have been a partner at Intuition Capital for the past two years. Recently they co-founded a new fund, Kinship Ventures, focused on bringing more inclusion and diversity to the cap table. They have invested in over 100 companies, in high-tech growth, consumer packaged goods, and the future of health.
Formerly, they were CEO of Beautycon, a globally recognized community for content creators, celebrities, fans, and brands. Moj is an accomplished speaker and business figure with international recognition.
They are focused on bringing the industry together via BeautyUnited, a non-profit focused on bringing community, education, and access to support the next generation of beauty and wellness leaders. They recently co-founded The Iranian Diaspora Collective, a nonpartisan, multifaith group aiming to support the demands of Iranians in Iran who want a free secular democracy.
Since 1992, Cosmetic Chemist Richard Parker has dedicated his career to creating skincare formulations that are considered the platinum standard in protecting and restoring the skin’s natural luminosity and beauty. His pioneering research into the relationships between skin genetics and epigenetic environmental influences led to Parker’s development of the RATIONALE Essential Six Collections—a daily skincare ritual built on the six facets of skin vitality and radiance. In 2012, Parker pioneered a new skincare paradigm with the introduction of his revolutionary Skin Identical technology; formulations intuitively recognized and optimized by human skin. Based on Parker’s profound understanding of skin anatomy and physiology, the Essential Six Collections offer superlative resilience, vitality and brilliance by day, and rejuvenate the skin’s integrity, clarity, and renewal processes by night. Today, Parker remains dedicated to inspiring and directing the talented team of RATIONALE research scientists, distilling and expounding decades of definitive research and wisdom.
LinkedInSuveen Sahib has championed innovation in the biosciences space, with past experiences across technology and consumer products for over 20 years. In 2015, Suveen was introduced to the world of haircare by his business partner, Britta Cox, founder of AQUIS hair, only to realize haircare was a daily struggle that needed a hair routine and products.
With his belief that nature is the best designer and engineer in an industry desperate for innovation, Suveen saw an opportunity to bring biotech with simplicity and speed to the haircare space. He worked with top scientists to map and test the entire protein expression of the keratin genome. After several years of R&D, K18 Biomimetic Hairscience was born. Launched during the pandemic, within two years, K18 has already expanded its footprint to over 100+ countries, fast gaining iconic status as the #1 haircare brand on social media and buzz from the pro community and at-home users alike—inspiring hair expression without compromise for all hair artists, hair types, generations, and genders across the globe. The venture has raised over $44MM from growth investors.
Agustina Sartori is currently Senior Director of Digital Innovation at Ulta Beauty and Managing Director of Prisma Ventures. Agustina has experience in both start-up and corporate worlds driving innovation, having founded GlamST—an augmented reality company focused on virtual try-on—which ULTA Beauty acquired in 2018. In her current role, she leads a team of engineers, designers, and beauty enthusiasts who develop and experiment with emerging technologies to bring new guest experiences such as AR, Metaverse, robotics, and new ways of doing commerce to life. In addition to her responsibilities, Agustina is the Managing Director of Prisma Ventures, Ulta Beauty's venture fund focused on early-stage start-ups in the retail technology space— including AR, AI, Metaverse, and robotics. Agustina holds a telematics engineering degree from the University of Montevideo in Uruguay, where she grew up before relocating to San Francisco.
LinkedInMichelle Wlazlo is the Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer at JCPenney. Michelle joined JCPenney in February 2019. In this role, Michelle is responsible for leading all the company’s merchandise offerings, focused on building a balanced assortment of the best private, exclusive, and national brands including operations of the company’s Merchandising, Product Development and Design, Sourcing, and Planning and Allocation teams.
Before joining JCPenney Michelle spent nearly 22 years in various merchandising leadership roles, most recently as Senior Vice President (SVP), Merchandising-Apparel and Accessories at Target. In that role, Michelle led brand launches along with reimagining the in-store experience.
Prior to Target, Michelle spent 19 years at GAP Inc., in a variety of roles, most recently as SVP, Global Merchandising, GAP. Over the course of nearly two decades, she held multiple merchandising roles of increasing responsibility for GAP Inc., inclusive of Old Navy and Outlet. Michelle began her career at Saks Fifth Avenue as a Department Manager before assuming store leadership and buying roles at Bebe Stores Inc. She currently sits on the board for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, along with serving on the Fashion Institute Council and most recently joined the Fashion Scholarship Fund board.
JuE Wong, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Board Member of Olaplex Inc., has a robust track record of scaling emerging brands such as Murad Inc., NV Perricone MD Ltd., ZO Skin Health by Dr. Zein Obagi, Astral Health &Beauty, and StriVectin. She has also globalized established brands that include Cargill Inc., PepsiCo, and Dial Corp. JuE was the former President of Elizabeth Arden and most recently Global CEO of Moroccanoil.
In September 2021, Olaplex made history asthe largest consumer packaged goods company to IPO in 20 years. A proven global senior executive with experience and exposure in four continents and seven countries, JuE is considered one of the go-to progressive executives in driving intrinsic change to increase portfolio value in omnichannel, international, and digital transformation (DX)/Disruption.
JuE serves on the corporate boards of Mila Moursi Advanced Skin Care and Versicolor Technologies as well as on the trade board CEW. She is also a board member of C200, the world’s premier women’s business leadership organization where membership is by invitation only.