Leaders from Sephora, Rare Beauty, Amouage and More Join The Business of Beauty Global Awards Jury

Today, The Business of Fashion is delighted to introduce the all-star jury for The Business of Beauty Global Awards 2026, honouring the entrepreneurs shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industry.

Priya Venkatesh, chief merchandising officer at Sephora; Scott Friedman, chief executive of Rare Beauty; Vennette Ho, managing director at Raymond James; Mona Kattan, founder and CEO of Kayali; Renaud Salmon, chief creative officer at Amouage; and Danessa Myricks, makeup artist and founder of Danessa Myricks Beauty, will join Imran Amed, BoF’s founder, CEO and editor-in-chief, and Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty, to identify winners based on the following criteria:

• Creative execution: Entrepreneurs with brands that combine distinctive products, packaging and marketing that demonstrate tangible social or environmental impact.
• Business innovation: Entrepreneurs with lean, sophisticated or innovative business models that showcase strong financials, whilst contributing to sustainability, social good or community benefit.

In addition to celebrating Emerging and Breakthrough businesses, this year’s Global Awards introduces The Established Track to recognise beauty founders further along in their entrepreneurial journey.

Finalists will participate in a special showcase exposition to present their brands and products, and connect with our prestigious community of guests at The Business of Beauty Global Forum. 91 percent of attendees at our Global Forum 2025 were leaders and executives at companies such as L’Oréal, Sephora, Summer Fridays, Ulta Beauty, Nykaa, L Catterton, Glossier and many more. Meet the jury and find out more about the Global Awards application criteria and deadlines below.

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Priya Venkatesh

Global chief merchandising officer, Sephora

Priya Venkatesh oversees Sephora’s global merchandising teams across categories and shapes the company’s long-term growth and expansion. During her 20-year tenure at Sephora, Venkatesh has built a diverse portfolio of indie, emerging, clean and heritage brands, and introduced high-performing brands such as Drunk Elephant, Sol de Janeiro, Dyson and Tatcha. Prior to Sephora, Venkatesh was the director of makeup at The Body Shop. She holds a master’s degree from Brandeis University and resides in the Bay Area with her family.

Scott Friedman

Chief executive, Rare Beauty

Scott Friedman is the CEO of Rare Beauty, the purpose-driven beauty brand founded by Selena Gomez. Prior to launching Rare Beauty, Friedman served as the CEO of NYX Professional Makeup through its 2014 sale to L’Oréal, and was the president of Allegro, a leading international designer, manufacturer and marketer of cosmetic, organiser and electronics accessory bags that was sold to Conair in 2007.

Vennette Ho

Managing director, Raymond James

Vennette Ho spearheads Raymond James’ industry-leading beauty, health and wellness practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions in addition to capital raises for young, rapidly growing companies. Vennette has executed over 70 M&A transactions across all sectors and categories of beauty, health and wellness, including the sales of Dr. Squatch, Paula’s Choice and K18 to Unilever; SpaceNK to Ulta Beauty; Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare to Shiseido; Naturium to E.l.f. Beauty and more, alongside capital raises for fast-growing companies such as Salt+Stone.

Mona Kattan

Founder and CEO, Kayali

Mona Kattan launched her award-winning, Middle Eastern-inspired fragrance brand Kayali in 2018, and has since grown it into a globally recognised business with over 7 million followers across social media. The Arab-American entrepreneur was named one of the most powerful women in the Middle East by Forbes in 2024, and has appeared in publications such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. She is an active mentor, speaker and member of organisations like YPO, Founders Forum and The Fragrance Foundation.

Renaud Salmon

Chief creative officer, Amouage

Renaud Salmon is the chief creative officer of Amouage, a luxury fragrance house based in Muscat, Oman. Salmon is responsible for designing and executing consumer touchpoints including product development. Prior to joining Amouage, Salmon previously worked on luxury leather goods at Delvaux and Louis Vuitton, and was vice president of Marc Jacobs fragrances. He holds a master’s degree from Belgium’s University of Liège.

Danessa Myricks

Makeup artist, CEO and founder, Danessa Myricks Beauty

Danessa Myricks is a makeup artist, photographer and founder of her eponymous line of cosmetics. Prior to founding her own business, Myricks developed products for brands like Kiss and Benefit Cosmetics. Danessa Myricks Beauty has been awarded over 100 accolades including Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and nine Allure Best of Beauty awards. As CEO of her own brand, Myricks continues to push boundaries, fostering a global community rooted in love, creativity and inclusivity while connecting hearts and minds through beauty.

Imran Amed

CEO and editor-in-chief, The Business of Fashion

Imran Amed is the Founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion. He is based in London, shapes BoF’s overall editorial strategy and is the host of The BoF Podcast. Amed holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a B.Com from McGill University and an honorary doctorate from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Previously, Amed was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co.

Priya Rao

Executive editor, The Business of Beauty

Priya Rao is executive editor at The Business of Beauty at BoF. She is based in New York and oversees BoF’s beauty and wellness coverage, events and awards. Previously, Rao held senior and podcast positions at Glossy and Digiday, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Town & Country, and has written for New York Magazine and Vogue. She also created the narrative skin-lightening podcast Unfair. Rao has a Bachelor’s in English and Finance from The University of Texas, Austin.

Who Can Apply?

Six award winners will be recognised on stage during The Business of Beauty Global Forum’s farewell celebration in Napa Valley, California on June 26 as well as across BoF and The Business of Beauty’s website and social platforms of over 7 million followers.

Applications are open to founders of consumer beauty brands selling products in at least one of the following categories: Makeup; Skincare (including devices); Hair care (including scalp care, tools and devices); Body care (including sexual wellness, tools and devices), and Fragrance.

Ingestibles, services, digital products or products administered in clinical settings and professional machines are not eligible for admission.

Deadlines to apply:

February 27 — Early bird deadline ($499 application fee)

March 27 — Final deadline ($699 application fee)

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For The Business of Beauty Global Awards terms and conditions, please click here. For any questions, please email us at beautyawards@businessoffashion.com.