2021 Honorees

Kelley Coleman

Executive Director of eCommerce

“I’m competitive but in a fun way, mostly competing with myself to get better.”

Tell us about where you work and what you do there.

I’m Executive Director of eCommerce for Tarte Cosmetics, focused on our eCommerce Roadmap managing our Product Management, Technology, Operations, and QA teams. I spend the majority of my time engaging with my colleagues and team on what’s new and next and how we can continue to innovate our people, process, and tools.

How would you describe yourself?

I have a lot of energy — sometimes maybe too much, but I’m an “each day is open with new possibilities” kind of gal, except for Mondays. I’m competitive but in a fun way, mostly competing with myself to get better. I had the opportunity to live in the Pacific Northwest for five years which was amazing, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss being so close in proximity to my family or having our boys grow up near their cousins. (Not to mention it always felt like when I woke up I was three hours late for news and current events!) Now that I’m back, even in a pandemic, I’ve continued to find those moments of joy which now include a new set of west coast friends.

What is your leadership style?

I expect a lot from my team, but I truly want to be a leader that helps to remove barriers and enables them to succeed. I’m not always going to know everything and fully appreciate the talent and expertise that each person brings to the table. Sometimes it can be difficult because you may want things done a certain way, but in the end, having the team make their own decisions and learn from the process is the most rewarding.

What do you think has been your biggest professional success so far?

Success to me hasn’t been defined by one big thing, but by a million little things – new launches, late nights, challenging work, learning experiences. I’ve been a part of new website launches, re-platforms, enterprise-level projects, and everything in between. Each had their successes and their learnings, but the one common thread is that I can look back at all of these experiences and be proud to have learned from both the good and the bad.

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What goals do you have for 2021?

As a team, we had some amazing successes this year that I would love to continue building on for 2021. My ultimate goal is to reach more tartelettes and make our site even more enjoyable for them! At the personal level, I want to continue growing, both as a person and a professional, and to continue developing the amazing talent on my team.

What do you think is the next big trend in eCommerce?

I think that using personalization to get closer to the customer is going to be a huge trend in eCommerce this year, and having the right technology in place will be critical to helping us (and any brand) achieve this goal. I think we’ve done a really good job of this so far, with things like virtual try-ons and consultations for tarte.com, and I’m really excited to see what else we can do in the future to improve and further customize our tartelette’s site experience.

Name an eCommerce brand you admire and why.

Honestly, it’s my own—tarte! I’ve loved what the brand stands for since well before I started working here. Cruelty-free products with healthy ingredients are now the norm, but 20 years ago when tarte was founded that wasn’t the case. tarte has pioneered this concept of high-performance naturals, meaning that they formulate naturally-derived and other ingredients designed to perform. Our site blends those ideals with amazing products that make you look and feel good every day, all while providing an effortless experience for our tartelettes.

Outside of beauty, my second loves are plants, stationery, and lifestyle. Three brands in those categories that I really admire are Terrain, Sugar Paper, and Magnolia. Their physical store experiences do a great job of embodying the magic of each of the brands, so when I shop their eCommerce sites, I feel like I’m transported back to those wonderful places.

What do you geek out over?

I’m a little bit crafting crazy… sewing, knitting, crocheting, and letterpress. I’m that person that has 200 knitting projects in pieces and will still get sucked into yet another. I’ve also never met a card store I didn’t like.