Yesterday, Ulta Beauty has strengthened its leadership ranks with the appointment of two new board members, including a high-profile name from one of its biggest rivals. Starting Sept. 1, former Sephora global president and chief executive officer Martin Brok, alongside former Amazon executive Stephenie Landry, will join Ulta’s board of directors and serve on its audit and compensation committees.
Brok, now the founder and CEO of MB Capital Advisors and an operating partner at Advent International, is widely recognized for his tenure at Sephora, where he spearheaded major strategic moves such as the acquisition of Feelunique in the U.K. and Zalando in Germany, laying the foundation for Sephora’s European expansion. His career also includes leadership roles at Starbucks, where he oversaw the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, and at Nike as global COO of direct-to-consumer operations.
Landry brings a wealth of operational and digital expertise from her time as COO at Honor Technology and her long tenure at Amazon, where she held several senior roles focused on innovation and sustainability.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Martin and Stephenie to our board of directors,” said Kecia Steelman, Ulta Beauty’s president and CEO. “Martin is an accomplished, strategic leader with deep international experience in retailing, merchandising, and brand strategy, while Stephenie has strong operational and digital innovation expertise and sustainability leadership. Their transformative track records and strategic vision will be invaluable as we navigate our next chapter of growth.”
The appointments come as Ulta Beauty and Sephora continue to face fierce competition in a shifting retail environment, where Amazon has emerged as the largest U.S. beauty retailer. Internationally, the U.K. is a key battleground, with Ulta recently acquiring Space NK following Sephora’s reentry into the market in 2023.
For Ulta, the board refresh underscores CEO Steelman’s bold approach since taking the helm earlier this year. In addition to international expansion into Mexico and the Middle East, she has reshaped Ulta’s executive team with new merchandising, digital, and marketing leadership, while ending its longstanding partnership with Target Corp. The addition of Brok and Landry signals further momentum as Ulta positions itself for the next phase of global growth.
