Uoma Beauty founder Sharon Chuter has stepped down as CEO and board member after five years at the inclusive beauty brand’s helm.
The business owner will remain as a shareholder and creative consultant for the Los Angeles-based company.
Dermstore’s former CEO, Cyndi Isgrig, has been appointed as interim CEO while the company searches for Chuter’s replacement.
“After five years of little sleep, long days, amazing times with my teams and incredible experiences that were challenging yet beautiful, I have relinquished all operational involvement in Uoma Beauty,” said Chuter.
Her departure comes after Chuter began to feel burnt out from 17 years of “corporate grind”.
“I have been going hard and forgot myself in the process,” she added.
“Building a global business with no co-founder is no easy task.”
Chuter was also admitted to hospital in January this year over stomach-related health concerns.
“I lost 10kgs in one week, doctors thought it may be stomach cancer but luckily it wasn’t and I’m back ok albeit forced into medical leave which was the true story of my sabbatical,” she explained in an Instagram post.
The former Head of Operations for Benefit Cosmetics will now focus on recuperating and focusing on self-care in the coming months.
She has also announced plans to work on new creative campaigns and product ideas within and also outside of Uoma Beauty.
Chuter originally established the business in 2018, with the desire to fill a gap in the beauty market for products which better suited women of colour.
The business then launched into the UK one year later exclusively with Selfridges.
She would also set up the online initiative Pull Up or Shut Up in June 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests.
The intention was to hold companies accountable by publicly declaring the number of black employees organisations had on its leadership teams.
What started as a 72-hour Instagram campaign has since expanded into a permanent educational platform.