EP 68 - Meet Karla Davis, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Media, Ulta Beauty

I Choose the Ladder

In this episode you meet Karla Davis. Karla is a high performing leader whose innovative spirit, influence and partnership is helping to change the face of beauty. Karla leads the Integrated Marketing Communications and Media Team for Ulta Beauty, and in her 5 years tenure, she has built the Integrated Marketing Communications function for the company, overseeing Category Marketing, Equity Communications, Media & Social Strategy, Brand Partnership Development, Grand Openings and Local Marketing. She helped establish the brand’s positioning, brand identity and brand purpose and launched Ulta Beauty’s first ever national advertising campaign. Karla’s passion for the diverse and inclusive beauty space has led her to continually advocate for research development, cross functional initiatives, and communications strategies that ensure all beauty lovers can feel seen, heard and valued at Ulta Beauty . Her efforts helped determine a new value for the organization – Champion Diversity. For her work in Multicultural Strategy, Karla was recognized as a Hispanic Marketing Thought Leader by HispanicAd.com. More recently, Karla was named to Essence Magazine’s Pretty Powerful List of Influential Black Beauty Executives and became an inaugural member of 25 Black Women in Beauty. From a broader industry perspective, she has been featured in Adweek’s Innovators Series for Inventive Marketing, on the mainstage for the ANA’s Multicultural Summit, and in AdAge’s Retail Summit. In response to her career-long impact on the marketing industry, Karla will be inducted into the prestigious American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, as part of the Class of 2020. Prior to Ulta Beauty, Karla has held various roles in marketing at Fortune 100 companies, such as PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson and Kraft Foods. In her personal life, Karla is passionate about empowering others spiritually, financially, and professionally. Through CityPoint Community Church, an innovative, Millennial-focused church she co-founded with her husband over 10 years ago, she leads Women and Couples to spiritual growth and connection. Additionally, after eliminating over $125K of debt in 2 years, she and her husband began the Young and Debtless platform to educate people on how to change mindsets and behaviors for financial freedom. That work has led to YD Investments, their real estate business that invests in underserved communities. Karla also sits on the Advisory Council for the Chicago Chapter of Dress for Success. Karla holds a master's degree in Design Strategy from IIT's Institute of Design, and received her bachelor's degree from Hampton University. Karla is the loving wife of Demetrius, the proud mama of Laila and an avid traveler – having visited 5 of the 7 continents and counting… Some of the things that we discussed that stood out to me were:⁠ ⁠ • How media influenced her career journey • How attending an HBCU opened up her career options • The impact of sending the elevator back down • Being the only Black person and the youngest person in a new environment • Knowing your worth • The weight that Black women carry when they have a seat at the table • How golden handcuffs can box us in • Running from a job V. running to a job • Assuming positive intent