Big changes are afoot at OLAPLEX. The haircare brand recently announced that its Chief Executive Officer, JuE Wong, has stepped down from the role and will be succeeded by former Supergoop CEO Amanda Baldwin in early 2024. Along with becoming OLAPLEX’s new CEO, Baldwin will also serve on the brand’s board of directors. As the brand goes through this leadership transition, Executive Chair of the Board John P. (JP) Bilbrey will serve as the interim CEO.
A New CEO
Baldwin’s recent appointment to CEO comes amid a challenging year for OLAPLEX. By bringing in Baldwin, the brand likely aims to stage a turnaround.
“Amanda is a leader in growing prestige beauty brands and we are delighted to welcome her as CEO of OLAPLEX,” Bilbrey said in a statement. “She is an effective and creative brand builder who deeply understands consumer insights and analytics. Her valuable mix of strengths across marketing, product development and execution make her the ideal person to position OLAPLEX for long-term success. I look forward to working with her and the talented OLAPLEX team to continue building the business while ensuring a seamless leadership transition.”
For her part, Baldwin brings extensive experience in leadership positions in the beauty and consumer industries to her new role as OLAPLEX’s CEO. Prior to serving as Supergoop’s CEO, she was the Senior Vice President at L Catterton, a global consumer-focused investment fund, where she collaborated with management teams across the portfolio with a particular focus on the beauty sector. She previously led the omnichannel marketing strategy of Dior Beauty at Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) and held several positions at Clinique, a part of The Estee Lauder Companies. Additionally, Baldwin currently serves on the board of directors of Ibotta, Inc. and KIPP NYC. Not to mention, in 2022, she was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year.
“OLAPLEX stands apart as a category creator redefining what is possible through the combination of beauty and science,” Baldwin said. “I see tremendous opportunity to help the brand and the business reach their full potential by further deepening engagement with stylists, retailers, and consumers through breakthrough product innovation, sharp storytelling, and a dynamic global omnichannel strategy. It is a privilege to join the company at this pivotal time in its evolution and I am excited to get to work with JP, the board and the remarkable team at OLAPLEX to best position the Company to achieve long-term growth.”
JuE Wong Makes Her Departure
Wong served as the OLAPLEX CEO for more than three years, after joining the brand in January 2020. Speaking on her time spent serving OLAPLEX, Wong shared, “It has been an honor to lead OLAPLEX through so many significant moments over the past three-plus years. My time with the company has been an incredible ride, and I appreciate the opportunity to help serve our team, partners, creator, and professional stylists — all of whom have played a special role in our success. I can’t wait to see all that OLAPLEX accomplishes in the years to come and will remain a loyal and committed champion of the brand.”
Mr. Bilbrey added, “On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank JuE for her contributions to OLAPLEX. She has been an industry leader and committed champion of the OLAPLEX brand over the past three years —creating market interest in the wholly new bond-building space within the prestige beauty category while guiding the company through major milestones including navigating our initial public offering and scaling OLAPLEX to an international brand. We greatly appreciate her collaborative partnership and wish her all the best in the future.”
For all things OLAPLEX, be sure to follow @olaplex on Instagram
