Well, good afternoon everyone and welcome to our keynote of Iowa Ideas. I want to say a quick note of thanks to presenting sponsor Kirkwood Community College for their ongoing support. Now, I'm excited to introduce our afternoon keynote speaker Kecia Steelman, the president and chief executive officer of Ulta Beauty.
Kecia was named president and CEO in January of 2025 after serving a number of leadership roles since joining Ulta Beauty in July of 2014. Ulta has more than 1,500 stores across the country and they're also expanding internationally as well. In her role as CEO, Kecia's responsible for setting and driving the company's long-term strategic vision and protecting and enriching the culture of the organization to ensure Ulta Beauty furthers its mission to leverage the power of beauty to make a positive impact on associates, guests, partners, and stakeholders. Prior to her current role, she served as president and chief operating officer and held a variety of leadership roles within the organization. Before joining Ulta, Kecia served in other organizations including Family Dollar, Home Depot, and Kecia began her career at Target Corporation and served in a variety of retail operations and merchandising roles there.
But there's also an Iowa connection and that's why we have Kecia joining us today. She hails from the town of Mediapolis, a town of 1,600 in Des Moines County in southeastern Iowa. Kecia, welcome and thanks for taking time with us this afternoon.
Thank you, Zach, and thank you to the Gazette for having me today and it's so nice to spend time with a fellow Iowan.
Yeah, I appreciate it. And I know that you're busy and I appreciate you taking time out of the schedule. We've actually pre-recorded this interview just to fit into scheduling and I wanted to just say that right at the beginning.
Kecia, I wanted to talk a little bit about kind of the early days looking back a little bit and the time in Iowa. And you've talked about that in some of the interviews that you've done. You growing up poor, hungry, and determined in Mediapolis. What are your memories of town? How do you think that that shapes you? And does that still shape you in your leadership style today?
Yeah. Well, first of all, Zach, I wouldn't change how I grew up in any way, shape, or form. I feel that that gave me the values to be the leader that I am today. Growing up in a small town, we grew up right along the Mississippi River. Our weekends were spent out on the Mississippi fishing with my dad and my sister and my mom. Just really spending quality time together as a family and playing with my friends and sports. And I just think the values that I was able to get through understanding hard work, community, how important community is in a small town and how everyone really has to leverage each other. Those are character moments, I think, that I got instilled in me early on, you know, as I was growing up that I still use today. So, I'm proud to say that I'm from Iowa. I often say I've never met a bad person from Iowa. Iowans know how to work really hard. And you know, I'm happy that I'm out there representing the state as a CEO now today.
That's awesome. You started as a floor associate at Target, I believe. And you were 20 and a single mom. And I'm curious, what was that experience like? And what do you think that the manager saw in you to kind of get you started?
Yeah. Well, I was in my early 20s when I started at Target. And you know, I think what set me aside from everyone else that was working there is that I just had this hunger to learn and grow and be better than just the job I was hired for. And you know, I loved working retail. And I think sometimes either you love retail or you don't. And I always said retail was in my blood because I love that every single day was different, and it wasn't predictable, and you had this interaction not only with people that you worked with because you worked really closely to get a job done, but also with customers. And you know, customers come in all shapes and sizes and all different degrees of expectation. And to me, that made the job really interesting. I remember going into work and starting my shift and be like, the shift was over and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that day just flew by.' And I found that really interesting to me that it was a job that I enjoyed what I was doing, and I felt like I was making a difference. And I think that my boss saw in me this spark of 'This is someone who, if I invest in this person, they'll continue to pay it forward with doing a great job for me.'
That's awesome. I'm curious. I mean, Iowa is a lot of great things. I mean, you know, known for hard workers, but it's not necessarily known as a beauty industry hub. And I'm curious, does that give you a different read, you know, as you go about things today, about what consumers actually want? You know, is this something that, you know, maybe if you had had a different upbringing, you'd think differently, or you'd differentiate you from some of the coastal markets?
Yeah, well, I would say this. I mean, whether you're in LA or New York, the social media today has really changed the way that beauty is brought to everyone across the United States. And so, I think that people are just as much on trend today, whether you're in a metropolitan area or more rural parts of the United States, than we were before. But your question was asking me about when I was younger. I would say that I always felt like I was fashionable, maybe not as trendy as I should have been, but I always had this desire to play with makeup and I was one of those young girls that put her makeup on and then took it off before I got home from school because I wasn't allowed to wear it. And you know, I think that that was just being a young adult growing up in Iowa at the time. I think that doesn't matter where you grow up. I think you got to find what you're passionate about, but I just want to say when I hear about like, oh, you've got a store opening in a rural area of the country, and how's that store going to do? I'm telling you those stores perform very well because beauty is for everyone. It's not just for the people that are living in the metropolitan areas. We all want to feel good about ourselves and bring our best versions of ourselves every single day. So I'm proud we got a lot of stores actually in Iowa, too, which is great.
You do and I have two teenage daughters who know aisle by aisle kind of the Cedar Rapids store. And so...
Yeah, and I've spent time there. So I can say firsthand.
Yeah, and Zach, we've got stuff for you, too, Zach. We can help you out, also.
Well, usually by the time they've experienced everything, I'm ready to go.
Or at least my wallet is.
And so I'm curious, what did you take away, you know, you talked about working retail and what did you take away from that experience that maybe is different than, you know, the business school and what is that the school of hard knocks or just kind of that real life experience? What do you think that taught you that, you know, maybe isn't as apparent in business school?
Well, I actually feel that I'm very blessed because I do have an understanding for the role that everyone plays in the organization to make the organization work. And I feel actually sometimes those that maybe skipped the steps of kind of working their way up through an organization or in retail specifically, that they don't necessarily know what they don't know. I do because I know what it was like to unload a truck or to work a register or be on the sales floor or, you know, work in a corporate office to support a business. And I think when you really can understand a perspective from the other person's point of view, whether it's I'm working on a strategy right now at Ulta Beauty, like the importance of bringing that frontline associate and the people who are working in the distribution center, they're just as important as the people that are working in the corporate office. And they're all part of that equation. I think the fact that that naturally comes to me just because I understand it. So, well, that's actually a gift for me and it does set me apart from many others who maybe followed a different path that I did. And you know, I will say like early on it was when I started to get into management roles, but I was still relatively young in my career, I was embarrassed by the fact that I didn't have the MBA or the big fancy college education. And now I'm really proud of the fact that I've done it in a different way. And I think in the world that we're in today, especially, you know, college is expensive. Not everyone can afford it. But that I was able to cut through and do it in a different way, I feel like I'm a great role model for so many that are out there. It's like if I can do it, you can do it, too. Put your head down, work really hard, learn from everyone, and be the best version of yourself and the best leader you can be, and the sky's the limit. I mean, I never thought I would be the CEO of the largest specialty beauty retailer when I started working, but I knew I wanted to be the best version of myself. And I think if you have that mindset, the sky's the limit.
Are there people that you think about, you know, as you're making decisions or in your role now, you know, whether it's your time in Iowa or at other points that you think about those moments along the way and what they taught you?
Yeah, I know this is going to sound a little bit cliché, but my mom is such a good influence on me personally and professionally. You know, my parents got divorced when I was a teenager, and my mom had to reinvent herself later on in life, and she started a business in Iowa. The community really supported her. My sister ended up going to work for her. And to see someone that could have pivoted and, you know, not made their next version of themselves, that's not what she did. She took it as this is an opportunity for me to get better. And I'm so proud of her for that. And to see her doing that as a young woman myself, that was always instilled in me. And so I'm very, very thankful for that.
I'm curious also, I mean, you've spent your career working in the Midwest. And does this, you know, do you think that there is a different leadership style in the Midwest? Obviously you would interact with different folks in your role. And what do you think that, you know, that leadership, what are the benefits that you see?
Yeah, I don't know that I necessarily see that there's different leadership styles or approaches. I do think that I'm a pretty humble leader. I, you know, I never fall in love with my own headlines. I think that's a trap that you can fall into as you grow in your career. I look at it as that I'm leasing the seat as a CEO. I don't own it. And my job is to make sure when I turn my lease over to the next person that I leave it better or in very good shape. So, I think even just having that mindset is really important. And I'd say that's maybe one thing that I take from being raised in the Midwestern area is that I think that there's a higher level of humility. I'm very grounded and I haven't forgotten where I've come from, and I think that's really important. But, you know, I think that I'm not easy. I would say I'm a tough cookie. I'm a tough leader, but I'm fair at the same time. And I think leaders today, in the world that we're operating in, you have to have what I call often times three things. You have to have IQ, you have to have the level of intelligence to do the job. You have to have the EQ. That's one thing that's become more important, and that's your emotional intelligence of how do you motivate teams and how do you get people to want to work for you at the end of the day. And that's changed a little bit, you know, when you're talking to the front-line associates. When I was starting out, you know, 30 plus years ago, it was more, you know, do the job and I didn't ask any questions and I did what it took to get the job done and I'd work the extra time. Now, people want to feel like, but what am I contributing to? How am I making a difference? And so, it takes a little bit more work, but when you get them, they're very invested and they're invested in the success of the organization. And then, the third thing is really this adversity quotient. I talked about this often. You know, I think back on my life and my challenges, personally, professionally. My life wasn't always up and to the right. And when you meet many CEOs or successful leaders, when you really start to dig down, you will find that that's the case because when you have adversity happen, it's like how do you course correct? What do you learn from it? How do you get stronger from it? How do you go through the problem, around the problem, over the problem, whatever it takes to get on the other end. And I'm a big glass half full leader where when bad things happen, it's like, okay, there's a lesson in this and I'm going to learn it and it stinks right now, but it will be better in the end because I know I'm going to be even stronger. And having that kind of a mindset, I do think separates leaders who are good from leaders who are great.
I'm curious too. I mean, obviously I think about 90% of your workforce are women and do you see yourself as you're making some of the decisions, you know, what responsibility do you feel that comes with that? I mean, especially given, you know, your own story.
Yeah. Oh, it's a huge responsibility. I mean, but I feel that way about the entire organization including our shareholders that are investors in our company. I mean, they're counting on me to make great strategic decisions for this company that's going to continue to drive a profitable business for many years to come. And you know, if I'm doing all of that right, I'm also creating great job opportunities for many young women and men, but we happen to be 91% female, which I'm very proud of. You know, that's the best part of my job to be honest is like when I go into a store and I see someone that I'm like, this person has a bright career ahead of them and then we have the place where they can have a great long-lasting career here and do it in a way that's authentic to themselves. But there's a huge responsibility. We've got just under 60,000 associates right now and I feel like I'm the big mother bear of them all, you know, I want to make sure I'm taking care of everybody and that I'm doing the right things for this organization. But at the same time, well, that's a lot of responsibility, it's also what motivates me every single day.
How do you do that flexibility? Because I mean, you know, that comes, retail's a tough gig from that perspective and you have to have people, you know, they're working hourly shifts, they're based at the store and you're counting on a certain number of people there. How do you build that flexibility in to have, you know, the opportunities for people to manage life, but also work the job?
Yeah, well, like it's different, like different roles, there's different opportunities, but there's always a way to figure it out. I truly believe that. So, if you're on the front line, you're working an hourly job, even part-time for us, you know, we have the ability to request time off to make sure that you have somewhat of a set schedule that we can work around. So, that's like how we handle things on the front line. And we have our general managers conference every single year where we bring all of our managers at one point in time into a forum where we can, you know, I can be on stage and I can talk to them. And one of my things that I've always said is early on, I missed the soccer games, I missed the choir concerts for my own kids because the world was very different than it is today. And I have the ability to be a leader where I give them permission and I'm like the CEO of the company is telling you, don't miss those things. Work your schedule, you can come in earlier the next day or you can figure it out, but I give you permission because happy employees that are balanced as much as you can possibly be between family and your career are the happiest of employees and those are the ones that will stay with us for the long-term, you know, of their career progression. And it's important to me and I do believe that I made the sacrifice ultimately with my own kids so others don't have to because it's something that I'm so passionate about still to this day. It's like, don't miss those events, because the job will be there tomorrow. I mean, it's like we're selling cosmetics and fragrances and skin care and hair care and services to help people feel good about themselves. If you're at your job and you're not feeling good about yourself, it's kind of hard to be successful at your job.
Oh, well said. I mean, look at it from the other perspective, too. Culture is a crucial piece to the organization, and I'm curious, how do you manage, you know, if you have investors and you have the shareholders, are there things that you, you know, your sacred items and culture that, you know, even if there's pressure to cut costs or to, you know, change things, how do you balance that to keep the culture of the organization that you spent so long in?
Well, we talk often, and I even say this with the investment community. It's like the success of our company is by keeping our guest, or another word for that is customers, so our guests and customers, and our associates at the center of everything we do. When we're focused on both, success happens. And I'm a people-first leader, where I was just speaking with the Economic Club in Chicago last week, where I was asked a couple of questions around the culture and the people and like, what, you know, how do you balance between the two? And it's like, there is, I've never seen a successful plan that only focuses on the numbers. If you only focus on the numbers, you're going to fail. But, if you focus on the people first, the numbers always come. When you have the right people in place where they're empowered to do what it is that they need to do, the business generally is very successful. And I feel like that's what I've been a part of, you know, the last 12 years here at Ulta is that I believe we've got that figured out and we're doing it a little differently and I'm okay with that. I like that. And I do believe that anybody can sell products, anybody can have the same assortment that we have, but if our people who work for us are happy, they're engaged in the business and they support the business, that is what separates us from others and that's harder to do. I mean, anybody can try to replicate us. This is a very competitive category and lots of retailers are coming into beauty because it's so, you know, successful and it's lucrative, but it's not that easy to do. It's like our people are the best trained, they know how to sell the products and how to do what's right for the guest. That's always something that's really important to me is like we're not commission based, we don't have commissions in our stores. I want our associates to do the right thing for our guest and as long as we're focused on those things, we're going to continue to be successful, I know, in the future.
I'm curious, too. I mean, leadership is, you know, there are lots of different facets to that and you know, you can read all sorts of, you know, business books about that. You can, you know, have all sorts of lived experiences, but I'm curious, you know, is there advice that you've gotten, you know, or things that you've had to unlearn or those things that you learned through maybe, well, that didn't go as I expected. Yeah. How have you adjusted course?
Yeah, one of the things that I had to kind of unlearn is that I always had to have, I felt like I always have had to have the answer. And even as a CEO, I don't always have the answer and I've had to give myself permission that it's okay to process, to, you know, phone a friend or use my resources because, you know, these jobs are, you're under the microscope and the expectation is really high and I'm okay with saying I don't know when I don't know. I had to unlearn that because early on you were rewarded for being right, doing the right things, and almost being perfect, per se. And that's just not very realistic. So, I had to unlearn that. You know, also, you know, I'm a fast learner myself, and what I had to learn was that not everyone was the same as I was, and everybody's kind of coming at things from a different perspective. So, I learned to seek to understand before jumping to conclusion, and that's something that's really stuck with me is, you know, how you think things might be may not be how they are. And if you already have a preconceived notion, you're not going to be open to others. And I've had to learn that, you know, it was probably more by middle management time in career, but it's something that I still think about that today. It's like if I have sense that I'm jumping to like, 'Well, I think this is what this means.' It's like, 'Stop doing that. Let's just let this process play out because you might see a picture very differently than if you don't, you're not open to it.'
How do you get feedback? What is the, you know, how do you figure out who to trust? And you know, how do you get the intel? You know, do you go back to your days on the floor and you know, think about that? How do you...
Absolutely. Well, it's a couple things. I'd say there's a couple ways that I get feedback on the company. Let me start with that because I think there's a difference between feedback on the company and feedback personally for me. Feedback on the company, I love to go into stores, and I've worked really hard to be very approachable. And my job is not to point out things that are wrong in the store. My job is to listen to what's on employees' minds, what challenges are they having with corporate coming to, you know, things coming into the stores, what can I do to help make their jobs easier. And then I look for trends. So when I'm in stores, I can see things really quickly. And if I'm seeing like a pattern of opportunity, it's not always that store manager's challenge. It's usually upstream. There's something that's upstream that's been broken and my job is to help fix that because if I help work on things that make the front lines more successful, the store is going to be more successful, the company is going to be more successful. So I kind of have that mindset. So I ask lots of questions and I try really hard to create an environment where people can really tell me anything, which is great. And I always thank them. I always thank them for taking the time to let me know when we have opportunities. For me personally, I do a lot of that with my direct report team. And then I'll do some skip level touch bases every once in a while. By skip level, I mean like people that are reporting to my direct reports. And just creating an atmosphere of like, 'Okay, what are we doing well? What can I do better? What do you need from me? Tell me what no one else is telling me. What's the water cooler conversation? Because the only way that I can fix this is if I know.' And I think, you know, I will say that I feel like we've got a pretty open team. My direct report team is really the team that I've helped put together to have today after a year and a half in the position. They're people that I really think are the best of the best at what they do. And you know, quite frankly, again, I think it comes from that humility of like, 'Listen, I have people on my team that are better at their specific job than I am because I'm a generalist. I'm a CEO. I've got to know a little bit about everything to ask the right questions, but I'm not an expert in any one of their verticals.' And to create that opportunity of like telling them, 'I need you to teach me and educate me so I can be an advocate for you or I can better understand the business.' I think when they know like, hey, listen, the CEO thinks that I'm actually better at this job than she would be, which is true. You know, it creates that little bit more open dialogue. And you know, you have to have thick skin if you want to be really successful today because none of us are perfect. And the only way that we get better is when you can create that atmosphere that people can tell you what maybe sometimes they don't want to tell you.
