From left: NRF's Bill Thorne and Ulta Beauty's Kecia Steelman on the Retail Gets Real podcast at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show.
Kecia Steelman, President and CEO, Ulta Beauty
Retail is an industry built on people, emotion and constant reinvention, and few leaders embody that reality more fully than Ulta Beauty President and CEO Kecia Steelman. In this episode of Retail Gets Real recorded live from NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in New York City, Steelman explores her remarkable career journey, leadership philosophy and how she’s guiding the nation’s largest specialty beauty retailer through one of the most transformative moments in retail history.
Leadership, culture and creating opportunity
At the heart of Steelman’s leadership approach is culture. Ulta Beauty’s predominantly female workforce and commitment to internal advancement have helped create thousands of management opportunities for women in recent years. Retail, Steelman says, remains one of the few industries where careers can be built through hard work, curiosity and teamwork, without requiring a traditional educational path.
Steelman’s operational background influences her leadership style today. From maintaining an open-door mindset to spending significant time in stores and distribution centers, she remains focused on removing friction for associates so they can deliver better experiences for guests. Clear strategy, simple language and shared accountability, she says, are critical to sustaining momentum and engagement at every level of the organization.
The beauty category itself is a space Steelman describes as uniquely emotional and deeply personal. At Ulta Beauty, selling beauty means selling confidence, self-expression, and joy across generations and price points. Steelman says the brand blends high-touch in-store experiences with digital tools like augmented reality and skin analysis to meet customers wherever they choose to shop.
Looking ahead, Steelman sees AI as a powerful enhancer rather than a replacement for human connection: It will enable more personalized, efficient and meaningful interactions for both associates and customers. She also highlights the growing importance of content, data, and loyalty as retailers adapt to emerging agentic search and discovery models.
Listen to the full episode to hear how Kecia Steelman is leading with purpose, navigating innovation, and redefining what it means to build a modern retail brand from the back room to the boardroom.
(00:00:00) From the sales floor to the CEO seat
How Kecia Steelman’s first retail job turned into a lifelong career
The formative leadership lessons learned at major retailers
Why retail’s pace and people sparked long-term ambition
What Ulta Beauty’s growth reveals about opportunity in retail
(00:05:48) How retail creates opportunity at every level
How front-line jobs become long-term careers
The role retail plays in economic independence
Why associates are the true face of the brand
What leaders learn by spending time on the sales floor
(00:09:14) Why beauty retail is about emotion, not just products
How beauty connects identity, confidence and self-expression
What makes Ulta Beauty unique across generations and price points
The role of in-store experience in a digital-first world
How technology enhances — not replaces — human connection
(00:12:52) Why the future of retail has no finish line
How generative AI is reshaping discovery and shopping
Why content matters more than ever in an agent-driven world
What retailers must do to stay visible as search evolves
How innovation strengthens both customer and associate experiences
(00:16:24) How culture drives performance at Ulta Beauty
Why leadership teams shape the tone of an organization
What it takes to build a collaborative, high-performing C-suite
How time on the floor informs better decision-making
Why clarity, simplicity and fun matter in retail culture
(00:19:28) How Ulta Beauty localizes a global brand
How data and loyalty insights guide merchandising decisions
Why listening to customers shapes brand relevance
The role of local and regional brands in global expansion
What retailers can learn from blending scale with community
(00:22:14) What retail needs more (and less) of right now
Why simplifying the shopping experience matters
How focus cuts through noise in a crowded market
The role of retail as a safe, joyful community space
Why self-expression keeps customers coming back
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