Recently Direct Selling News had the opportunity to speak with Ryan Rogers, the CEO of Mary Kay and grandson of legendary founder Mary Kay Ash. We discussed the past, the present and what is shaping up to be the prosperous future of Mary Kay.
Q: You’ve shared that your grandmother, Mary Kay Ash, was not happy with you when you graduated from SMU and chose to work for another firm and not Mary Kay. Can you tell us about that decision, your relationship with your grandmother and how you became CEO today?
A: My grandmother used to call me every Saturday when I was in college. She would always end the conversation the same way: “Hurry up and finish school so you can come work with me.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I wasn’t sure that was my path. I was more interested in finance and investing than beauty products. I graduated from SMU in three years and accepted an offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers. When I told her, she squeezed my hand proudly until I said I was going to work somewhere other than Mary Kay. She let go of my hand and rolled over in her bed. That was her way of making her opinion known.
I joined Mary Kay in 2000 as a financial analyst and spent more than two decades learning every part of the business: strategy, operations and international growth, eventually serving as Chief Investment Officer. In addition, since 2001, I have been serving as Vice President of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation® Board of Directors, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
In 2023, I had the honor of starting a new chapter of our company as its Chief Executive Officer. I never initially aspired to be CEO. When our former CEO retired, the question became simple: who can lead the company through this specific moment and what is best for our employees and our Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants?
Stepping into the CEO role is about stewardship, not ambition. I feel a deep responsibility to honor my grandmother and my father’s legacies while ensuring we deliver on our mission of enriching women’s lives.
Q: Mary Kay has been around for over six decades. How do you stay ahead of the curve and remain innovative?
A: My grandmother often said that if we’re not moving forward, we’re moving backward—that mindset continues to drive us. Mary Kay and her son, Richard Rogers—my father—who recently passed, were the original entrepreneurs. They were a force together. It’s my honor and privilege to carry the mantle, to follow in their footsteps.
We have made transformative investments in technology and research, and most importantly in terms of our independent sales force experience.
In 2025, we launched a new global ecommerce platform to power our Independent Beauty Consultants’ digital businesses, fully integrating social media into our operating model. We launched in the US and Germany and are now rolling out our cloud-first integrated platform in 40 markets worldwide.
Our Foundation Finder uses advanced AI to scan a customer’s face on their mobile phone and provide personalized foundation shade recommendations in seconds. I’m proud to say Mary Kay’s Foundation Finder is a first in the direct selling industry.
We also introduced a tiered discount structure that rewards sales growth, rolled out electric pink Cadillacs and modernized our annual sales force “Seminar” and “Leadership” recognition events to be more agile and impactful.
None of this is a finish line. It is simply the next step. We continue to focus on execution—driving adoption of modern tools; streamlining international expansion through lean, digital-first strategies; and strengthening the Mary Kay business opportunity for women around the world.
Q: As you look forward to Seminar in Fort Worth later this summer, how has the event evolved?
A: The last five years have tested every organization, from the pandemic to economic uncertainty and global disruption—and the evolution of our annual “Seminar” reflects that reality.
Through our events, we celebrate achievement and community. That is who we are. Yet today, the focus is just as much on moving forward and embracing change. Over the past five years, online shopping and digital engagement have grown at an extraordinary pace, reshaping how customers discover and buy products. Our event reflects that shift through a social-first approach, equipping our leaders with social media master classes, ecommerce education and digital business tools.
We’re empowering our Independent Beauty Consultants to meet customers where they are—whether that’s in person, online or through social platforms. That flexibility is essential for growth in today’s marketplace, where mobile commerce accounts for over 62 percent of beauty sales.
What I’m most proud of is how our beauty consultants have responded with focus and a true growth mindset. That is what you feel in the room. The energy is about building momentum and driving business, and we are accelerating forward together.
Q: Mary Kay was known for motivating people to achieve their goals and become the best they can be. Have the organizational changes you’ve made supported the same level of motivation and achievement?
A: Absolutely. My grandmother motivated people by setting clear expectations and genuinely believing in their potential. She was warm but direct. She’d ask about your goals, and she expected you to follow through. One of her most famous sayings was, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.”
The changes we have made are about strengthening our legacy culture of achievement, just with modern tools. To us, digital business success blends the irreplaceable customer service Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants are known for with technology.
Technology is a powerful catalyst, but sustainable change is driven by people, by embracing new tools, challenging old ways of thinking and translating innovation into impact. At the end of the day, this is about modern empowerment in a fast-changing industry. We are building on our 60-plus-year legacy by investing in our products, technology and people.
Q: How is Mary Kay applying the right mix of technological innovation and in-person community as the company grows over the next six decades?
A: Technology should amplify community, not replace it. Our new ecommerce platform and digital tools allow our Independent Beauty Consultants to run sophisticated businesses from their phones. Some conduct their entire business through social media.
At the same time, when you bring people together for Mary Kay’s Seminar, you can feel something technology cannot replicate—passion, belief, recognition, inspiration.
The right mix is integration. Social media amplifies reach. Ecommerce drives efficiency. In-person events fuel culture. We’re not choosing between digital and community, we’re strengthening both.
Q: What are your most important memories of your grandmother and her legacy that will serve you and the company in the future?
A: My strongest memories are, unsurprisingly, personal. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. Dinner at her home was formal: jackets, ties, polished shoes. She would sit with each grandchild and ask about our goals and accomplishments. That sense of accountability and high expectations stayed with me.
Shortly before she passed, I showed her a video of our annual Seminar, tens of thousands of women celebrating success. You could see the amazement in her eyes. She realized the dream had grown far beyond her and that it would continue.
She also taught me that leadership is stewardship, not ownership. For her that meant protecting the business for future generations, leading ethically, thinking long term and ensuring growth was both profitable and responsible. She believed in leaving things better than you found them, whether that was for people or the planet. I also learned a lot from my dad—both from what he told me but also by the example of leadership I saw him live.
Q: Acceleration is a key theme for Mary Kay in 2026. What are you doing to keep moving forward and taking the right next step?
A: Acceleration in 2026 means moving forward with purpose, taking the next right step to enrich the lives of women by providing meaningful entrepreneurial opportunities across 40 global markets. Our mission hasn’t changed; what’s evolving are the tools we use to deliver it
We’re focused on fully executing our ecommerce transformation, deepening social media integration and accelerating profitable growth. We’re also driving adoption of the tools introduced in 2025 so our independent beauty consultants can use data and insights to build stronger, smarter businesses.
We’re reaching out to new customers across every generation and creating more opportunities for women around the world to choose Mary Kay.
An Online Exclusive from Direct Selling News magazine.
