Kelly Mahoney
Chief Marketing Officer
Ulta Beauty
Kelly Mahoney is Chief Marketing Officer of Ulta Beauty and a brand and growth leader with more than 20 years of experience across omnichannel retail, loyalty, and customer experience. She is known for pairing Ulta Beauty’s rich first-party data with bold creative storytelling to build cultural relevance, deepen personalization at scale, and drive measurable business growth.
As CMO, Kelly leads Ulta Beauty’s voice, vision, and growth marketing strategy. She oversees brand marketing, the 46+ million-member Ulta Beauty Rewards loyalty program, and UB Media, along with media strategy, consumer insights, social and influencer engagement, and public relations. Under her leadership, Ulta Beauty has sharpened its purpose platform, Beauty Happens Here, showing up as a beauty and wellness destination for self-expression, confidence, well-being, and connection – brought to life through culture-driving moments, immersive experiences, and partnerships that strengthen community.
Over her 10-year tenure at Ulta Beauty, Kelly has helped shape the company’s innovation agenda across marketing and retail strategy. As Senior Vice President, Customer and Growth Marketing, she advanced member engagement and top-line growth through value-added programs and guest-first experiences that also empowered associates. Earlier, as Director of Strategy, she optimized retail operations and led omnichannel initiatives spanning mobile payment, associate training, and enterprise communications.
Prior to Ulta Beauty, Kelly built a multidisciplinary foundation in strategy, loyalty, and customer engagement across industries. At BP, she led loyalty and digital engagement initiatives that strengthened retention and scaled data capabilities. At Eire Direct Marketing, she designed loyalty programs for major retailers. She also served on the Strategic Advisory Board for Hatch Loyalty and began her career at Accenture, where her grounding in financial and process analytics shaped the operational discipline that underpins her marketing leadership.
Kelly is an ADWEEK Marketing Vanguard Award winner, Campaign Inspiring Women honoree, a recipient of Advertising Week’s Future is Female Award, and has been named to The Drum’s Commerce Media Power 100. She is a frequent speaker at global forums including Cannes Lions, NRF Retail’s Big Show, CES, SXSW, Adweek House, and Axios House, sharing perspectives on modern marketing, loyalty ecosystems, responsible AI, and brand building.
Her leadership extends beyond Ulta Beauty through board service. Kelly serves on the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Family Services, supporting its mission to empower Chicago-area families, and on the Board of Directors of Ebbo, a customer engagement and loyalty solutions company.
Kelly holds an MBA in Management from DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University Chicago.
As CMO, Kelly leads Ulta Beauty’s voice, vision, and growth marketing strategy. She oversees brand marketing, the 46+ million-member Ulta Beauty Rewards loyalty program, and UB Media, along with media strategy, consumer insights, social and influencer engagement, and public relations. Under her leadership, Ulta Beauty has sharpened its purpose platform, Beauty Happens Here, showing up as a beauty and wellness destination for self-expression, confidence, well-being, and connection – brought to life through culture-driving moments, immersive experiences, and partnerships that strengthen community.
Over her 10-year tenure at Ulta Beauty, Kelly has helped shape the company’s innovation agenda across marketing and retail strategy. As Senior Vice President, Customer and Growth Marketing, she advanced member engagement and top-line growth through value-added programs and guest-first experiences that also empowered associates. Earlier, as Director of Strategy, she optimized retail operations and led omnichannel initiatives spanning mobile payment, associate training, and enterprise communications.
Prior to Ulta Beauty, Kelly built a multidisciplinary foundation in strategy, loyalty, and customer engagement across industries. At BP, she led loyalty and digital engagement initiatives that strengthened retention and scaled data capabilities. At Eire Direct Marketing, she designed loyalty programs for major retailers. She also served on the Strategic Advisory Board for Hatch Loyalty and began her career at Accenture, where her grounding in financial and process analytics shaped the operational discipline that underpins her marketing leadership.
Kelly is an ADWEEK Marketing Vanguard Award winner, Campaign Inspiring Women honoree, a recipient of Advertising Week’s Future is Female Award, and has been named to The Drum’s Commerce Media Power 100. She is a frequent speaker at global forums including Cannes Lions, NRF Retail’s Big Show, CES, SXSW, Adweek House, and Axios House, sharing perspectives on modern marketing, loyalty ecosystems, responsible AI, and brand building.
Her leadership extends beyond Ulta Beauty through board service. Kelly serves on the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Family Services, supporting its mission to empower Chicago-area families, and on the Board of Directors of Ebbo, a customer engagement and loyalty solutions company.
Kelly holds an MBA in Management from DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University Chicago.