The Honest Company, the Jessica Alba-founded baby and home goods brand, has named Carla Vernón as its new CEO, effective Jan. 9, 2023. Current CEO Nick Vlahos will step down from day-to-day operations as part of a planned succession but will remain on the company’s board of directors.
Vernón, who will become among the first Afro-Latina CEOs of a publicly traded company, will bring a wealth of experience building and promoting brands to her new role. Most recently she was VP of Consumables Categories at Amazon where she led the baby care, household products, food, beverages, health and wellness and beauty categories to double-digit topline growth. She also increased the retailer’s portfolio of emerging and prestige beauty brands, introducing a proprietary virtual lipstick try-on technology and creating the Amazon Holiday Beauty Haul seasonal merchandising event.
Amazon was the source for another key Honest Company hire: in September 2021, the company brought on former Amazon executive Pete Gerstberger as its Chief Digital and Strategy Officer.
Prior to her stint at Amazon, Vernón spend more than two decades at General Mills in a variety of leadership roles across the CPG company’s portfolio, with a particular focus on its purpose-driven brands.
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“As a leader of the clean lifestyle movement, The Honest Company is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of this era,” said Vernón in a statement. “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.”
“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,” said Alba, who serves as The Honest Company’s Chief Creative Officer, in a statement. “With Carla at the helm, I am confident Honest will continue to redefine category expectations and pave the way for others to follow.”
At Honest, women represent more than 60% of the leadership team, and women and people of color represent more than 50% of the board of directors. To date, Honest has donated over 28 million products to philanthropic partners like Baby2Baby as it continues to prioritize and support underserved communities.
Honest Company Board Chair James D. White praised Vlahos’ nearly six-year tenure as CEO, which included scaling the company from startup to a publicly traded brand that can now be found in more than 50,000 retail locations. “I want to thank Nick for leading The Honest Company through a period of transformative growth,” said White in a statement. “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.”
