Irina Barbalova, Global Lead, Beauty and Wellness, Euromonitor International

Irina is a Global Lead and drives the evolution of Euromonitor International’s Beauty offering. She leads the insights and commercial strategy across the beauty and wellness space. 

Bringing over 15 years of industry expertise, Irina provides strategic direction and foresight into the evolving health, beauty, and wellness landscape and has a special interest in women’s health. Throughout her extensive tenure at the company, Irina has led numerous industry projects and has partnered with clients spanning the entire value chain, with a focus on actionable insights to accelerate growth strategy and foster innovation.  

With a high-profile thought leadership record, Irina has shared her expertise across leading events and forums, including FUTURE50, INNOCOS Longevity Summit, Women’s Health Innovation Summit, and Cosmoprof Worldwide in the capacity as a keynote speaker, panelist, and moderator.

 

Yarden Horwitz, Co-Founder, Spate

Yarden Horwitz is the co-founder of Spate, an AI-powered platform trusted by over 200 CPG brands—including L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, and P&G—to uncover emerging trends and make data-driven decisions. Prior to launching Spate in 2018, Yarden was at Google, where she co-founded the trendspotting division and spotted trends such as turmeric, cold brew, and face masks. Recognized as a top female leader by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yarden currently serves on the board of CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women). She is a frequent speaker at leading beauty industry events such as CEW’s State of the Beauty Industry and Cosmoprof, and is often quoted in publications like WWD, Vogue Business, and The New York Times.

 

Sarah Jindal, Senior Director, Beauty and Personal Care, Americas, Mintel 

As Mintel’s Senior Director, Sarah brings with her over 25 years of experience working in the beauty industry with a background in both marketing and product development. She works closely with major and emerging brands helping to map innovation and strategize for future success while driving the overall content strategy for beauty, personal care, and household both regionally and globally.

 

Larissa Jensen, Senior Vice President, Global Beauty Industry Advisor, Circana

Larissa Jensen, Senior Vice President and global beauty industry advisor at Circana is a recognized expert in the skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair categories.. 

Larissa contributes to major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Vogue, Business of Fashion. She has been a featured speaker at the WWD Beauty CEO Summit as well as for Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), HBA Global Expo, Cosmoprof, and The Society of Cosmetic Chemists. Larissa has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University Business School and The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She is an adjunct professor and Advisory Board Member for FIT’s CFMM Master’s Program andCosmoprof North America, and on the Board of Advisors for Beauty Packaging magazine. She was recognized among the 2023 Women Worth Watching in Leadership by Profiles in Diversity Journal, and in 2024 was named among the Top Women in Health, Wellness & Beauty by Drug Store News (DSN).

 

Anna Mayo, Vice President, Beauty Vertical, NielsenIQ

As a Vice President for NielsenIQ’s Beauty Vertical, Anna Mayo is an innovative thought leader within the beauty and personal care retailing space. NielsenIQ's beauty and personal care insights cover 100 global markets, providing the industry's most total view into omnichannel consumption and, in turn, empowering the next decade of beauty. 

Throughout her 12 years at NielsenIQ, Anna has worked with cross functional teams to deliver proactive, industry-shaping insights and guide some of the world’s largest CPG clients through behavioral shifts and consumption trends. In her current role, Anna partners with beauty and personal care clients to develop cutting-edge solutions, leverage new technology, drive marketing and sales strategies, and identify unmet consumer needs. In addition, Anna is responsible for leading thought leadership for the Beauty Vertical, serving as an industry expert and appearing in broadcasts and publications such as Women’s Wear Daily and FOX Business, most recently.

 

Chaz Giles, Managing Partner, Alida Labs

Chaz brings over 20 years of technology and AI innovation leadership across global brands and start-ups. As the Managing Partner of Alida Labs, Chaz helps companies apply AI to create real growth. An early leader in AI, Chaz founded Revea, the first precision skincare company, using AI and NASA imaging technology to democratize dermatology. Previously, he built and led External Innovation for The Estée Lauder Companies. Prior to that, Chaz invested in and incubated early-stage companies as a Venture Director at Citi Ventures. Chaz started his career at Procter & Gamble, where he helped create one of P&G’s billion dollar brands, before incubating new businesses in FutureWorks, P&G's corporate innovation group. 

Chaz is published in the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review and is an active start-up investor and advisor focused on the intersection of AI, science, and longevity.

 

Nicolas Geiger, Founding Partner, REDO Capital + Executive Board Member, L'Occitane Group

Nicolas GEIGER the founding partner of REDO Capital and REDO Ventures, two investment funds that focus on investing in the beauty and wellness ecosystem. He is also an Executive Board Member of the L’Occitane Group.

Prior to that, Nicolas worked for 15 years in the L’Occitane Group where he acted as founder and CEO for the L’Occitane au Bresil brand, a Brazilian spinoff from the L’Occitane en Provence that he grew to $50 million in revenue with 300 points of sales in Brazil only. Nicolas was also the President for L’Occitane Group in Japan for five years where he operated a turnaround plan for the largest operation of the group.

In addition to his MBA from INSEAD and a certification in Business Sustainability Management from Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Nicolas also holds a degree in engineering, economics, and management from Oxford University and a Qualified Teacher Status for mathematics in the UK.

 

Reuben Carranza, Group CEO, Bansk Beauty

A seasoned brand builder, Reuben has over three decades of experience encompassing strategic consumer packaged goods (Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever),  start-up (R+Co, Luxury Brand Partners), and indie scale-up (Olaplex, Amika, Eva NYC, Ethique Beauty). Reuben is now at the helm of the Bansk Beauty platform as Group CEO and Board Director for Amika, Eva NYC, and Ethique Beauty. 

At P&G, Reuben held leadership roles with billion-dollar brands Pantene, Olay, and Cover Girl. As North American CEO for Wella Professionals, he integrated Wella, Clairol, Sebastian Professionals, and the acquisition of Nioxin, driving division revenue, profit, and share acceleration.

From launching R+Co, doubling revenue and expansion to prestige retail at Olaplex, Reuben is a master of brand connectivity and market adeptness, bringing this mindset then to Unilever Prestige as CEO of Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts, driving over 70% growth.

Bansk PE welcomed Reuben in July of 2022 after the acquisition of Amika and Eva NYC.

 

Deanna Kangas, President, Strategic Growth Consulting

Deanna Kangas is a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience building, scaling, and turning around consumer-facing brands. She was part of the founding team of the globally recognized haircare brand Ouai and served as CEO of Stila Cosmetics, where she successfully led the company through a multi-year turnaround and repositioning.

Known for her ability to blend creative vision with operational discipline, Deanna works closely with private equity firms to evaluate and optimize beauty and wellness investments. She has launched and grown brands across a range of categories including beauty, personal care, lifestyle, and wellness—guiding them through critical stages of development, expansion, and global relevance.

In addition to her advisory work, Deanna serves on nonprofit boards and has held previous corporate board positions. Her leadership is defined by strategic clarity, brand instinct, and a proven ability to drive sustainable growth.

 

Millie Kendall O.B.E., CEO, British Beauty Council

Millie Kendall O.B.E. is the CEO of the British Beauty Council, a retail expert, and brand creator. With 30 years in beauty, she has played a key role in the success of brands like Shu Uemura, Aveda, Tweezerman, L’Occitane, and Ruby & Millie. In 1998, she co-launched Ruby & Millie, a pioneering mid-priced makeup brand. Millie co-founded BeautyMART in 2012, a disruptive beauty retail concept. In 2015, she launched Brandstand Communications with Anna-Marie Solowij. Millie was awarded an MBE in 2007 and an O.B.E. in 2022 for her contributions to the industry.

 

Kelly St. John, Founder + CEO, KSJ Collective

A visionary beauty industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, Kelly St. John blends strategic expertise, deep industry connections, and what many call the “Kelly Magic” to elevate every client partnership. As the founder and CEO of KSJ Collective, a strategic growth consultancy for the beauty sector, Kelly empowers brands of all sizes to achieve transformative growth, build brand equity, and capture market share.

Her distinguished career includes 28 years between Estée Lauder and Neiman Marcus, where she played a pivotal role in identifying and developing emerging brands into industry leaders. Renowned for her sharp insight, diplomacy, and an unshakeable calm under pressure, Kelly seamlessly navigates the ever-evolving beauty landscape, balancing instinct with informed risk-taking.

Kelly serves on the Board of Advisors for True Beauty Ventures, is a board member of the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), and a member of THE BOARD.