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Marla Malcolm Beck

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Marla Malcolm Beck
BornMay 22, 1970
Oakland, California
EducationUniversity of California Berkeley Harvard Business School Harvard Kennedy School
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCo-Founder, CEO Bluemercury
SpouseBarry Beck

Marla Malcolm Beck is an entrepreneur based in the United States.[1] She co-founded the beauty company Bluemercury in Washington, D.C. alongside her husband, Barry J. Beck in 1999.[2] Bluemercury was acquired by Macy's in 2015.[3][4][5] Beck retained her position as CEO until 2021.[6][7]

Early life and education[edit]

Beck is the daughter of a real estate developer.[5][8] In 1993, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in political economy and later was hired by the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company as an analyst.[5][9]

Several years later, she quit her job to get a joint graduate degree at Harvard University, earning both her Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, respectively, in 1998.[1][9] After briefly entering the field of private equity, Beck exited the field to create Bluemercury with her husband.[10][11]

Career[edit]

In 1999, Beck and her husband founded Bluemercury as an online-only cosmetics boutique,[12] and in the fall of that same year, the duo opened their first store in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.).[13][14] By 2006, the company had grown to 12 stores across the country, supported by New York private equity firm, Invus Group LLC.[15]

In March 2015, Bluemercury joined Macy's, Inc. through acquisition for $210 million. Beck remained Chief executive officer.[3][4][16][17] At the time of the sale, Bluemercury had a little over 60 stores.[18] In September 2019, Bluemercury Chief operating officer Barry Beck announced he would be leaving, while Marla Beck would stay on during a transition period until a new CEO was named.[19][20] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Beck remained in her position at Bluemercury and moved the company towards skincare.[21][22] Beck left the company in 2021.[6]

M-61 Labs[edit]

In 2006, Beck began Bluemercury's own vegan skincare line, M-61, which launched in 2012 and refuses to use more than 100 chemicals common to the industry.[5][23]

Lune+Aster[edit]

In 2015, Beck launched her own makeup line similar to M-61 in the brands commitment to vegan, gluten free, and paraben free formulas.[24]

Appointed Positions[edit]

Beck currently serves in the following positions: The Children's Place Independent Director,[25] Advisory Board of Harvard Business School Rock Center for Entrepreneurship,[26] Leadership Council of Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership,[27] Board of Trustees, Sidwell Friends School,[28] Director Nominee Chobani,[29] Board of Directors for Evenly Technologies, Board of Directors Beauty Health.[30] She previously served as a Board Member for the National Retail Federation[31] and as a member of the Global Leadership Board for EdX.[32]

Awards and honors[edit]

2014 - Appointed Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harvard Business School[9]

2014 - Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs

2015 - Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year National Finalist

2016 - Cosmetic Executive Women Achiever Award Recipient[33][34]

2017 - BeautyCares Dream Ball Honoree alongside husband Barry Beck[35]

2019 - Inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame[36]

2019 - Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award[37]

Personal life[edit]

Beck resides in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and their three children, Ariel, Sophie, and Luc.[38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Marla Malcolm Beck". cpl.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  2. ^ Fine, Jenny B. (2019-06-04). "Bluemercury: 20 Years of Growth". WWD. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  3. ^ a b "Macy's, Inc. Completes Bluemercury Acquisition". Macy's, Inc. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  4. ^ a b "Macy's, Inc. Agrees to Acquire Bluemercury". www.businesswire.com. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  5. ^ a b c d Decker, Vivienne. "Marla Malcolm Beck Sold Bluemercury To Macy's For $210 Million, Now She's Betting On Vegan Cosmetics". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  6. ^ a b Hansen, Drew (July 22, 2022). "Marla Beck exits CEO role at Bluemercury, the beauty company she founded in 1999". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  7. ^ Wassel, Bryan (2021-07-26). "Macy's Picks New Bluemercury CEO as Rightsizing and Revitalization Efforts Continue". Retail TouchPoints. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  8. ^ "Profile — Entrepreneurship — Harvard Business School". entrepreneurship.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  9. ^ a b c "Marla Beck, MBA/MPA 1998 - Alumni — Harvard Business School". www.alumni.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  10. ^ Irwin, Neil (2016-09-09). "How to Become a C.E.O.? The Quickest Path Is a Winding One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  11. ^ Bryant, Adam (2015-01-10). "Marla Malcolm Beck's Three Keys to Hiring: Skill, Will and Fit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  12. ^ "Bluemercury founder taking neighborhood approach to luxury beauty, spa service sales". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  13. ^ Wu, Sarah Y. "5 Tips On Business And Beauty From Bluemercury CEO Marla Malcolm Beck". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  14. ^ "An Inside Look at Bluemercury with Marla Malcolm Beck". Vanity Fair. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  15. ^ Fernandez, Chantal. "Macy's Buys Sephora Competitor Bluemercury". Fashionista. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  16. ^ US, FashionNetwork com. "Macy's announces acquisition of Bluemercury". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  17. ^ Pollock, Suzanne Kapner and Lauren (2015-02-03). "Macy's Buys Skin-Care Chain, Hunts for Growth". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  18. ^ "Bluemercury's Marla Beck on selling her company to Macy's". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  19. ^ Collins, Allison (2019-09-16). "Bluemercury Founders Marla and Barry Beck to Exit". WWD. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  20. ^ "Founders of beauty retail giant Bluemercury exit the business". cosmeticsbusiness.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  21. ^ Dagher, Veronica (2020-08-22). "Three Questions With Bluemercury's Marla Beck on How Covid-19 Is Changing the Beauty Business". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  22. ^ Davis, Dominic-Madori. "The CEO of Bluemercury explains how her luxury beauty company adapted its innovative, hands-on retail strategy to survive in a digital-first world amid the pandemic". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  23. ^ "Bluemercury Launches a New Skincare Category: M-61 Serum Pads". www.businesswire.com. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  24. ^ "Interview With Marla Beck, Founder of Bluemercury | Makeup.com by L'Oréal". makeup.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  25. ^ Vill, Robert. "The Children's Place Appoints Marla Malcolm Beck, Founder & CEO of Macy's, Inc. Upscale Beauty Retailer Bluemercury, to Its Board of Directors". Press Release — Children's Place, Inc.
  26. ^ "Rock 100: The Summit — Entrepreneurship — Harvard Business School". entrepreneurship.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  27. ^ "Leadership Council". cpl.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  28. ^ "Leadership — Sidwell Friends". www.sidwell.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  29. ^ "S-1". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  30. ^ "BeautyHealth Appoints Bluemercury Founder Marla Beck to Board of Directors". Financial Post. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  31. ^ "Q&A: Bluemercury Inc. co-founder and CEO Marla Beck". NRF. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  32. ^ "Marla Beck — Global Leadership Board Member at edX". THE ORG. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  33. ^ cosmeticsdesign.com. "CEW Achiever Awards celebrate the beauty industry's top leaders". cosmeticsdesign.com. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  34. ^ "1,200 Strong Attend CEW Achiever Awards". Beauty Packaging. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  35. ^ Collins, Allison (2017-09-28). "Dream Ball Honors Don Loftus, Marla and Barry Beck". WWD. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  36. ^ "Learn about the 2019 Laureates: Marla Beck". Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  37. ^ "Harvard Business School Honors Five Graduates with Alumni Achievement Award". Harvard Business School. 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  38. ^ "What's inside the home owned by Bluemercury's founders? Many beautiful shades of blue". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
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