Revlon appointed Debra Perelman as its first female CEO in the company’s history on May 23, 2018. Perelman, the daughter of majority owner Ronald Perelman, worked for Revlon for 20 years before she was offered the CEO position. Even in an industry that caters predominately to women, Perelman, as a female CEO, is providing the industry with a much needed makeover.

Male leadership dominates the C-Suite with only 4% of women holding CEO positions globally (Fortune). Shockingly, this remains consistent within the beauty industry– brands such as L’Oréal Paris and Estée Lauder operate under male leadership. As CEO of Revlon, Perelman represents the majority of her consumers and reflects the dire need for gender diversity in the professional world.

The lack of female leadership speaks to a larger issue of underrepresentation. Interestingly enough, women have consistently received more bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees than men. They also represent 44% of the Fortune 500 workforce. Women are educated and present, yet there are still so many barriers to the top position.  

For these reasons, we are celebrating the promotion of Debra Perelman. We are wishing her success in her role and looking to her to be a strong role-model for young women everywhere. 

***Standard disclaimer: Written on the fly. Please excuse spelling and grammatical errors as well as partial thoughts, generalizations and unintended whiplash.