12.13.22
The Honest Company has named former Amazon and General Mills executive Carla Vernón as its next CEO. The appointment is effective January 9, 2023.
Carla Vernón
Through this appointment, Vernón will become one of the only Afro-Latina CEOs at a US publicly traded company. As CEO, she will be laser-focused on category growth and driving profitability behind the company’s core mission of inspiring everyone to love living consciously.
The move is part of a strategic leadership succession plan, as current CEO Nick Vlahos will step down from day-to-day operations after a near six-year tenure and remain on the board of directors.
“I am thrilled Carla is joining The Honest Company as our next CEO. She is a strategic, visionary leader who will continue to build Honest as the legacy brand for tomorrow’s generation," said Founder and Chief Creative Officer Jessica Alba. "What makes Carla unique is her innate ability to drive product innovation and go-to-market strategies that captivate consumers’ imagination, strengthen brand loyalty, and significantly impact the bottom line. I could not dream of a better person to take Honest into this exciting new chapter. With Carla at the helm, I am confident Honest will continue to redefine category expectations and pave the way for others to follow."
“Carla is widely recognized as a transformational leader and purpose-driven executive. She brings invaluable experience scaling and energizing businesses, developing and executing successful omnichannel strategies, and fostering diverse and inclusive workplace cultures,” said James D. White, chair of The Honest Company board of directors.
In a statement, White thanked Vlahos for leading The Honest Company through a period of “transformative” growth.
“Over his six years in leadership, Nick strengthened the business fundamentals, led the company’s successful initial public offering, and significantly expanded the Honest brand in omnichannel and global markets," White added.
Vernón comes to Honest from her recent role as VP of consumables categories at Amazon.com where she led the baby care, household products, food, beverages, health and wellness, and beauty categories to double-digit topline growth on Amazon.com’s $200 billion online stores. She was also instrumental in invigorating Amazon.com’s beauty experience, including increasing the portfolio of emerging and prestige beauty brands, introducing a proprietary virtual lipstick try-on technology, and creating the first-ever seasonal beauty merchandising event: Amazon’s Holiday Beauty Haul.
Prior to Amazon, Vernón spent more than two decades at General Mills in various P&L leadership roles across the company’s portfolio, with a particular focus on the company’s purpose-driven brands. As division president of its natural and organic business, Vernón was instrumental in guiding General Mills to become the second largest branded maker of natural and organic food in North America and the industry leader in regenerative agriculture and organic farming through a commitment to advancing regenerative practices on one million acres of land.
Vernón also serves on the board of trustees for Princeton University.
“As a leader of the clean lifestyle movement, The Honest Company is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of this era and I am thrilled to join Jessica and the leadership team with a fresh perspective as we enter a new chapter of innovation and growth. As I take my seat at the table as a woman, a mom, and one of the only Afro-Latina CEOs of a US public company, there are so many people and experiences that come with me. These are perspectives that can inspire our future growth and vision,” said Vernón.
Vlahos noted that over the last two years, he had been “fortunate to partner with Carla to drive our Honest Lifestyle platform at Amazon and it is clear that she understands how to engage the conscious-minded shopper and their desire for clean and natural products.”
“With the recent distribution expansion that has delivered record-high retail sales and a strong management team in place, now is the perfect time for Honest to transition to its next CEO. I am confident that Carla is the right leader to continue to scale the business as we embark on our next decade as a modern consumer lifestyle brand, inspiring everyone to love living consciously,” the outgoing CEO said.
At Honest, women represent more than 60% of the leadership team and women and people of color represent more than 50% of its board of directors.
Carla Vernón
The move is part of a strategic leadership succession plan, as current CEO Nick Vlahos will step down from day-to-day operations after a near six-year tenure and remain on the board of directors.
“I am thrilled Carla is joining The Honest Company as our next CEO. She is a strategic, visionary leader who will continue to build Honest as the legacy brand for tomorrow’s generation," said Founder and Chief Creative Officer Jessica Alba. "What makes Carla unique is her innate ability to drive product innovation and go-to-market strategies that captivate consumers’ imagination, strengthen brand loyalty, and significantly impact the bottom line. I could not dream of a better person to take Honest into this exciting new chapter. With Carla at the helm, I am confident Honest will continue to redefine category expectations and pave the way for others to follow."
“Carla is widely recognized as a transformational leader and purpose-driven executive. She brings invaluable experience scaling and energizing businesses, developing and executing successful omnichannel strategies, and fostering diverse and inclusive workplace cultures,” said James D. White, chair of The Honest Company board of directors.
In a statement, White thanked Vlahos for leading The Honest Company through a period of “transformative” growth.
“Over his six years in leadership, Nick strengthened the business fundamentals, led the company’s successful initial public offering, and significantly expanded the Honest brand in omnichannel and global markets," White added.
Vernón comes to Honest from her recent role as VP of consumables categories at Amazon.com where she led the baby care, household products, food, beverages, health and wellness, and beauty categories to double-digit topline growth on Amazon.com’s $200 billion online stores. She was also instrumental in invigorating Amazon.com’s beauty experience, including increasing the portfolio of emerging and prestige beauty brands, introducing a proprietary virtual lipstick try-on technology, and creating the first-ever seasonal beauty merchandising event: Amazon’s Holiday Beauty Haul.
Prior to Amazon, Vernón spent more than two decades at General Mills in various P&L leadership roles across the company’s portfolio, with a particular focus on the company’s purpose-driven brands. As division president of its natural and organic business, Vernón was instrumental in guiding General Mills to become the second largest branded maker of natural and organic food in North America and the industry leader in regenerative agriculture and organic farming through a commitment to advancing regenerative practices on one million acres of land.
Vernón also serves on the board of trustees for Princeton University.
“As a leader of the clean lifestyle movement, The Honest Company is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of this era and I am thrilled to join Jessica and the leadership team with a fresh perspective as we enter a new chapter of innovation and growth. As I take my seat at the table as a woman, a mom, and one of the only Afro-Latina CEOs of a US public company, there are so many people and experiences that come with me. These are perspectives that can inspire our future growth and vision,” said Vernón.
Vlahos noted that over the last two years, he had been “fortunate to partner with Carla to drive our Honest Lifestyle platform at Amazon and it is clear that she understands how to engage the conscious-minded shopper and their desire for clean and natural products.”
“With the recent distribution expansion that has delivered record-high retail sales and a strong management team in place, now is the perfect time for Honest to transition to its next CEO. I am confident that Carla is the right leader to continue to scale the business as we embark on our next decade as a modern consumer lifestyle brand, inspiring everyone to love living consciously,” the outgoing CEO said.
At Honest, women represent more than 60% of the leadership team and women and people of color represent more than 50% of its board of directors.
