Amanda Baldwin (WG06) has served as Chief Executive Officer of Olaplex since December 2023. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience across beauty, skincare, and consumer investment. Prior to joining Olaplex, Amanda was Chief Executive Officer of Supergoop!, a leading SPF-focused skincare brand, from July 2016. During her tenure, she led the company through significant growth and brand expansion. Earlier in her career, Amanda served as Senior Vice President at L Catterton, a global consumer-focused investment firm, where she partnered with management teams across the portfolio with a particular emphasis on the beauty sector. She also led omnichannel marketing strategy for Dior Beauty at LVMH and held several leadership roles at Clinique, part of The Estée Lauder Companies. Amanda currently serves on the board of directors of Ibotta, Inc. and KIPP NYC. She earned her M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and her A.B. from Harvard University.
Oliver Chen (WG06) joined Cowen and Company’s Equity Research department as a Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst, where he covers more than 30 companies across the retail and luxury sectors. A graduate of Georgetown University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Chen is also a CFA Charterholder. In 2017, he was named to the Wharton School’s “40 Under 40” list of distinguished alumni. Mr. Chen was also recognized on the 2017 and 2018 Institutional Investor All-America Research Team as a top analyst in the retailing/department stores and specialty softlines sector. In 2019, he was honored by the National Retail Federation Foundation as one of the “People Shaping Retail’s Future.” Widely regarded as an industry expert, Mr. Chen is a frequent speaker and panelist at leading retail and luxury industry conferences and events.
INSIGHT FROM AMANDA : Blue ocean strategy means going to the blue waters rather than competing in the red. If you see possibility in something no one else sees, that’s opportunity—not risk. You have to know what you have a stomach for and it takes a stomach of steel to face it but always do the thing that pushes you outside your comfort zone, because you will always learn more.
INSIGHT FROM OLIVER: Barriers for entry are low, but to scale is very high. There is a new brand every day. Founders who achieve a breakthrough do so because they have a completely unique idea that has “change the world” potential, and the ones who stand out bring a distinct point of view to both brand and product. That said, operations, execution, and finance is equally important; many indie brands that don’t succeed ultimately fall short due to operational challenges.