Kelly Kovack is the quietly loud renegade of the beauty industry with 25 years of experience and an ability for intuiting emerging trends. Leaning right but fueled by left-brain thinking, her career is the culmination of identifying white space, developing category defining strategies and building brands from conceptual startups to tactical cleanups. Kelly is someone who makes things happen.
She started her career in beauty as a member of the original executive team of Bliss and the Managing Director of the seminal Bliss catalog and product division, Kelly took on the way women bought beauty. This venture fundamentally changed the way cosmetics and personal care were merchandised, developed and presented to consumers creating waves of change in the industry landscape that are still felt today and led to the successful acquisition of Bliss by luxury conglomerate, LVMH.
Joining MD Skincare (Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare) in its nascent stage she was responsible for the foundational branding and marketing strategies that positioned the brand as one of the premier cosmeceutical brands in both the retail and professional arenas. In addition, she launched Dr. Gross’ book Your Future Face, which helped establish him as a leader in the field of dermatology. Her relationship with the brand has come full circle, with Kelly currently serving on the business’s Board of Directors.
As an advisor and strategist, she has consulted dozens of organizations of all sizes, from emerging startups to iconic institutions, including multi-billion dollar brands like Old Navy, Banana Republic, Procter & Gamble, Estee Lauder, and Mattel to notable independents like Carols Daughter, Zirh SoCozy, Loli Beauty, One Love Organics, Jimmyjane and many others. She advises Venture Capital and Private Equity on beauty transactions, executional and operational strategies.
Always entrepreneurial, Kelly has also created and built her own brands. The most recent among these ventures is the award-winning fragrance brand, Odin, co-founded in collaboration with the New York fashion brand. Kovack’s projects have been featured prominently in the media, and her work as a creative director and brand architect has been recognized with numerous awards, including a Pantone Color Award and Pentaward for packaging design, a FiFi and numerous Allure Best of Beauty awards.
Kelly launched BeautyMatter in the Fall of 2016 with the firm belief that in a fast-moving world, information is knowledge, but context matters. And more importantly, innovation comes from the cross-pollination of industries and expertise. She set out to use her experience building brands and scaling businesses to offer a new perspective and holistic approach to B2B content that filled a void in the beauty industry.