Inside the 2024 CEW Achiever Awards
More than 30 years since their inception, CEW’s annual achiever awards still draws the masses.
The awards, and the accompanying luncheon, drew roughly 1,000 people to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, which honored Jenny Belknap of the Estée Lauder Cos., Maria Chiclana of Shiseido, Penny Coy of Ulta Beauty, Ali Goldstein of L’Oréal Paris, Andrea Harrison formerly of CVS Health, Anitra Marsh of P&G Beauty and Christine Chang and Sarah Lee of Glow Recipe.
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The awards also gave its Inspiring Educator Award to Virginia Bonofiglio of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and its Catalyst for Change Award to L’Oréal’s Angela Guy.
“It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago, we created the Achiever Awards,” said Carlotta Jacobson, president of CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women), at the luncheon’s onset. “From the beginning, the award was created to call attention to recognize the achievement of women. The core reason remains the same.”
Jacobson added that, “With all the events we hold, this event best represents CEW’s mission to support the advancement of women in the industry.”
The organization’s chairwoman, Jill Scalamandre, called attention to the masses drawn to the event, as well as the event’s impact. “We are back with 1,000 people here today,” she said. “I can attest to the relevance of the women’s leadership platform. By showcasing women’s accomplishments in beauty, we showcase what it takes to excel — and what is possible when you do,” she said.
Before introducing Holly Thaggard, founder of sunscreen brand Supergoop and keynote speaker at the event, Scalamandre noted that Thaggard “had changed the way the world thinks and uses sunscreen.”
Thaggard touched on myriad topics, starting with the fact that “I am genuinely and wholeheartedly obsessed with SPF,” and noting that she entered the beauty space with “no real beauty experience.”
She went on to discuss what she calls the “Three P’s: passion, purpose and people. Our purpose means adding to our mission. It allows us to view every challenge as an opportunity in disguise. My work is about so much more than sunscreen; it’s about creating change and innovation so that people can live right and enjoy the sunshine.”
Passion also ignited Thaggard, who said, “My passion fueled me during the tough times, and on the flip side, has made the sweet times so much sweeter. It’s not something you can fake — it’s either there or it isn’t.”
Community has also helped propel Thaggard on her entrepreneurial journey, which she credits immensely for her success. “I could not have achieved anything without the power of people,” Thaggard said. “All of us here today are on our journeys together, we have to encourage one another, and we have to stand together in support of one another and cheer each other on.”
The Inspiring Educator Award honoree, Virginia Bonofiglio, noted that sense of camaraderie in the industry. “All of you in this room, including my colleagues at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in my industry mentors, and my family, have supported and inspired my journey as an educator,” she said.
“My vision has always been to show students that the beauty industry is not just cosmetics or skin care. It’s about the empowerment of women and allyship of self expression. It’s about celebrating each person’s unique identity, plus, fostering inclusivity and celebrating all of our diversity,” Bonofiglio continued.
Angela Guy, L’Oréal Global and L’Oréal USA’s equity and inclusion board member, also noted the importance of championing diversity as she accepted the Catalyst for Change Award. “Putting people at the core of what we do means we have to see them for who they are,” Guy said. “In beauty, it means to see all of them. Because the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, the culture behind their grooming process matters.
“Everyone in this room needs to speak up and speak out to protect diversity, equity and inclusion, and the work that CEW has been leading,” Guy continued. “CEW exists because there was a need to see all identifying women in the cosmetic industry. So when I look around this room, I can see that I am surrounded by catalysts for change.”
The first Achiever honoree was Jenny Belknap, senior vice president of enterprise marketing and portfolio strategy in North America for the Estée Lauder Cos., introduced by Jane Lauder, the company’s executive vice president of enterprise marketing and chief data officer.
“I was immediately impressed, and honestly, a little bit intimidated,” Lauder said of her first time meeting Belknap, who headed up marketing at Origins as Lauder was named the brand’s general manager. “Jenny is the perfect combination of drive and grace.”
As Belknap put it during her acceptance speech, “I’ve thought a lot about the road I’d taken to arrive at this day, and this led me to three themes that I want to share: dream big dreams, never stop learning and find your voice.”
Finding one’s voice was a theme carried through to the next honoree, Shiseido’s Maria Chiclana, who serves as chief legal officer and global general counsel.
“She’s an amazing person, whether playing the role of wife, mother, sister and because of that, it’s her courage, tenacity and strength as she’s forged her own path to success,” said Ron Gee, chief executive officer of Shiseido Americas, when introducing the honoree.
Chiclana said she learned from her upbringing, as the daughter of immigrant parents in the Bronx, that “fueled my drive to work hard and to learn, and to look for the opportunity in every difficulty, to give back, and to dream big.
“I grew up in the belief that knowledge, common sense and seasoned skills are your superpower, and I learned early on that unfortunate circumstances don’t need to hold you back,” Chiclana continued.
On the retail side, Ulta Beauty’s chief merchandising officer, Monica Arnaudo, applauded honoree Penny Coy’s leadership style in her introduction.
“First working with her as a brand partner and now working closely together, Penny is a highly engaged and driven leader who cares passionately about our culture, her teams and the success of all of her brand partners — many of you,” Arnaudo said in a nod to the crowd. “Her very no-nonsense, no-drama approach in a very dramatic industry gets things done and drives the business forward.”
Much in the spirit of the event, Coy said the through-line of her trajectory has been “women supporting women,” starting with her mother. “As a leader to women, many of them mothers — Ulta Beauty is 92 percent women — fostering the value of community is so important, as should be the success of our future leaders. This legacy of supporting women in the workplace will continue.”
L’Oréal Paris’ president of the U.S., Ali Goldstein, got her introduction from L’Oréal’s group president of acquisitions and West Coast, Carol Hamilton. Hamilton had received the same award when holding Goldstein’s position, as she noted in her introduction.
“Ali has been so instrumental not only in defining leadership at L’Oréal, but in evolving it,” Hamilton said. “Ali is a paradoxical leader in the best of ways; she’s the quietest leader in the room, but the most forceful when she speaks. She is often the last leader to speak in a meeting with the wisest remarks.”
Goldstein noted the mentors in her life from whom she’s learned the most, adding that her best advice is to “embrace those around you, listen to their wisdom and soak in their knowledge.
“A second reflection is about power in making mistakes. The world and this industry are impossible to predict; accepting that some things are just not going to work out as we expected is really the job,” Goldstein continued. “The most meaningful memories I have are from the failures, and the most impactful leadership moments I have faced are when I’ve publicly admitted we’ve got it wrong.”
Andrea Harrison, former VP, merchandising beauty/personal care & Hispanic Center of Excellence at CVS Health, gained her introduction from CVS Health’s Musab Balbale, the retailer’s chief merchant. “Andrea has shaped our beauty business in so many ways. She elevated our ambition and showed the world we could perform in beauty, and how we could serve customers in a better way,” he said.
Harrison underscored the emphasis on diversity that has marked her tenure. “As the mother of three biracial children, I’ve learned that barriers must be broken, and the importance of showing them what’s real and what’s possible,” she said. “This is one of the reasons why our Beauty Unaltered campaign at CVS will always be among my proudest accomplishments. I never could have imagined the power we have as an industry to make such a marked impact until we fostered transparency and inclusion for the next generation.”
Damon Jones, Procter & Gamble’s chief communications officer, introduced honoree Anitra Marsh — P&G Beauty’s vice president and chief communications officer — noting their history together. “When all else has failed over the past 25 years, Anitra, we have laughed our way through it,” Jones said. “I jumped at the chance to recognize — and there are many reasons — for her leadership, and commitment to excellence, her nurturing spirit and her care for her colleagues, as well as her passion for beauty.”
Marsh outlined the choices that brought her to the stage — from deciding to major in journalism in college, to choosing to stay in the beauty industry. “I’m reminded every day that my wealth and my work are not measured by my title, the number of awards that I get — and I appreciate this award for that because it’s not about what I’ve accumulated, but the connections, the experiences and the impact I’ve had along my journey,” she said.
Those connections also served Sarah Lee and Christine Chang, cofounders and co-CEOs of Glow Recipe, whose introduction came from Sephora’s Priya Venkatesh, global chief merchandising officer.
“Despite Glow Recipe’s extraordinary success, they are always striving to do better — better for their business, for their employees, for their customers, for their retail partners and for their environment,” she said. “They serve as mentors to Sephora’s Accelerate program, and have created one of the most vibrant and passionate beauty communities I have seen.”
Lee returned the love, saying, “Priya, without your vision and support from the past seven years, it would not be the company that it is today.”
“I vividly remember the meeting with Priya and Artemis [Patrick] from Sephora, where we shared our lab jar sample, the concept of Glow Recipe skin care: the north star of making clinically effective skin care fun and sensorial without compromise.”
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