CEO & Founder, Tarte Cosmetics
Maureen Kelly: Biography at a Glance
- Maureen Kelly turned her passion into a global empire, disrupting the beauty industry with Tarte Cosmetics’ cruelty-free, high-performance products.
- As CEO of a company led by an all-female C-suite, Maureen champions female empowerment, fostering a culture of mentorship and support for the next generation of women leaders through initiatives like shape your future™ and tartelette™ U.
- Maureen’s commitment to philanthropy shines through Tarte’s support for charities like Dress for Success and the creation of Tarte’s Amazonian cooperative, as well as her founding of the Heart to Tarte Foundation to drive meaningful change.
- Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine and Ernst & Young, Maureen’s journey from psychology student to award-winning entrepreneur offers invaluable lessons on resilience, vision, and adaptability.
- An early adopter of social media, Maureen revolutionized how beauty brands connect with consumers, showcasing the power of innovation and adaptability in entrepreneurship.
- Maureen’s story and initiatives underscore the importance of combining purpose with passion, inspiring women to shape their futures with confidence and authenticity.
Biography
Maureen Kelly is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Tarte Cosmetics, an industry-leading prestigious multi-million dollar makeup brand in over 60 countries. After pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology, Ms. Kelly shifted her career path to follow her true passion — to create a line of cruelty-free products infused with high-performance natural ingredients, all wrapped up in chic, trendy packaging. From the iconic cheek stain to the award-winning shape tape concealer, she disrupted the beauty landscape and continues to do so by staying nimble and becoming an early adopter on social media.
Passionate about female empowerment and entrepreneurship, Ms. Kelly leads a team of all-female C-suite executives and is focused on supporting the next generation of girl bosses through impactful campaigns like shape your future™ small business awards and tartelette™ U mentorship program. Giving back has always been a major aspect of her brand’s DNA. She has supported charities like Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, The It Gets Better Project, and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. She even spearheaded the creation of Tarte’s own all-female cooperative in the Amazon. In 2017, Ms. Kelly founded Heart to Tarte, a 501(c)(3) organization to support causes near and dear to the Tarte family. She has received numerous awards from esteemed organizations such as Entrepreneur magazine and OPEN from American Express’ Woman of the Year, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever Awards. She is an active member of advisory councils like Ulta Beauty Conscious Beauty, QVC Beauty, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Good Health Clinic, and local cosmetology programs.
Ms. Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in psychology from The New School for Social Research.
Topics
The Power of Personalization: Building Authentic Connections in Business
In this inspiring speech, Maureen Kelly, founder and CEO of Tarte Cosmetics, shares how personalization and customization have been the cornerstone of her brand’s success for over 25 years. From her early days personally delivering products to editors, to leveraging social media to foster genuine connections with consumers, Maureen reveals how tailoring relationships can drive loyalty, trust, and business growth.
Drawing on her journey of turning a passion into a global beauty empire, she offers actionable insights on creating meaningful, organic relationships in an increasingly digital world. This speech is a compelling call to embrace personalization as a powerful tool for innovation, differentiation, and building authentic connections that resonate.
