Kathryn Hopkins

Wed, Jun 25, 2025, 7:59 AM2 min read

Paula Oyibo, Ulta Beauty’s chief financial officer, has departed the company, Ulta announced Wednesday.

Chris Lialios, the company’s senior vice president, controller, has been named interim chief financial officer, effective immediately, while the company begins an external search for a permanent successor.

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Lialios has served as senior vice president, controller since 2018 with responsibility of the company’s financial reporting, internal controls and accounting policy. He joined Ulta Beauty in 1999 as assistant controller.

“Chris has been a respected leader on Ulta Beauty’s finance team for more than 25 years, and we are thankful to him for stepping into this important interim role as we conduct a search for our next CFO,” said Kecia Steelman, president and chief executive officer. “We’re confident that his deep familiarity with our business coupled with his financial expertise and leadership style will ensure a smooth transition as we continue to execute our Ulta Beauty Unleashed plan.”

This is one of a number of changes to Ulta’s C-suite this year, beginning with Steelman succeeding Dave Kimbell as CEO. Kelly Mahoney was named chief marketing officer; Lauren Brindley joined as chief merchandising and digital officer; Amiee Bayer-Thomas became chief retail officer, and Mike Maresca was tapped as chief technology and transformation officer.

On her departure, Oyibo said: “I am extremely proud of our team’s accomplishments and believe Ulta Beauty is well-positioned to execute the Ulta Beauty Unleashed plan.”

At the same time, Ulta reaffirmed the guidance for fiscal 2025, including the company’s expectation that comparable store sales growth will be between 0 and 1.5 percent, and diluted earnings per share will be between $22.65 and $23.20.

On the search for Oyibo’s successor, Ashley Helgnas, an analyst at Jefferies, said: “We like and believe the market will likely favor an external hire. This news follows numerous other management changes in the past year. The company also reiterated its fiscal-year 2025 guide, despite category trends improving versus Q1.”

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