Jessica Alba’s ‘The Honest Company’ Taps Carla Vernón As CEO— One Of The Only Afro-Latinas To Lead A U.S. Publicly Traded Company
Latinx women make up just 1.6% of senior executives in the nation’s largest companies.
Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company has toppled many barriers as a leader in the clean lifestyle product space. Now, it looks like their newest leader is aiming to continue driving the company forward while charting a historic path herself.
It was recently announced in a news release that former Amazon and General Mills executive Carla Vernón was named CEO, effective January 9, 2023. This makes her one of the few Afro-Latina CEOs at a U.S. publicly traded company.
“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,” Vernón said in the news release.
The company was launched by producer and actress Jessica Alba in 2012 and has grown to include global distribution and 50,000 retail locations across the United States, Canada and Europe.
“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,” said Chair of The Honest Company Board of Directors James D. White. “She brings invaluable experience scaling and energizing businesses, developing and executing successful omnichannel strategies, and fostering diverse and inclusive workplace cultures. I am excited to welcome Carla as The Honest Company’s next CEO and I look forward to working with her to continue to bring Honest’s mission to life.” “On behalf of the entire board, I want to thank Nick 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. We are thrilled to have him continue as a member of the Honest Board.”
Latinx women make up just 1.6% of senior executives in the nation’s largest companies.
“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,” said incoming Chief Executive Officer Carla Vernón. “As I take my seat at the table as a woman, a mom, and one of the only Afro-Latina CEOs of a U.S. public company, there are so many people and experiences that come with me. These are perspectives that can inspire our future growth and vision. That is what is so unique about The Honest Company. This brand was built to bring a rumble of change across industries, leading the way to bring clean and ethical products to the mainstream. And, we will continue doing that with products designed in new and better ways that meet today’s and tomorrow’s needs.”
