The Glossy 50 celebrates individual changemakers. Explore other honorees in The Accelerators, The Changemakers, The Dealmakers, The Heavy Hitters, The Icons, The Innovators, The Leaders, The New Class and The Trendsetters.
The work of these creators was at the center of industry buzz.
Helming E.l.f.’s brand presence is Laurie Lam, who joined the brand 16 months ago after spending two decades at L’Oréal. She has since co-led some of the company’s biggest moments of 2023. That includes its first-ever Super Bowl ad, starring Jennifer Coolidge, which E.l.f. conceptualized and completed in just three weeks.
Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams is renowned for his work on such acclaimed movies as “Life, Animated,” “God Loves Uganda,” “Traveling While Black” and “The Apollo.” He was also the first Black director to win an Academy Award, in 2010. With “The Super Models,” the Apple TV docuseries that debuted in September, Williams set out to spotlight the stories of “the original influencers,” he said, referring to Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. The results fueled mainstream buzz and important conversations about the state of beauty standards and abuse within modeling.
For Lisa McKnight, evp and chief brand officer at Mattel, “Barbie” was a huge opportunity. McKnight led the coordination of a Barbie-led onslaught of collaborations that helped put both Barbie and Mattel everywhere. The Barbie brand itself practically doubled in value in 2023 compared to two years ago, now sitting at more than $700 million.
Explore all of the 2023 Glossy 50 honorees here.