Richelieu Dennis

Richelieu Dennis is the founder and CEO of Sundial Brands, which includes SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture, a premium hair-care line exclusively available at Sephora. Rich is also the founder and Chairman of Essence Ventures which includes ESSENCE, ESSENCE Studios, Afropunk, BeautyCon, Girls United, Naturally Curly, and the New Voices Foundation. Rich is also the co-founder of Group Black, an inclusive, mission-driven media company.
In November 2017, Richelieu architected a first-of-its-kind deal in the beauty and personal care industry when he negotiated the landmark acquisition of Sundial Brands by Unilever – one of the largest natural beauty/personal care deals in the U.S. and also the largest consumer products transaction by a majority Black-owned company. As part of this purpose-driven agreement, he created a groundbreaking $100 million New Voices Fund to invest in and empower women of color entrepreneurs. In addition, he founded the New Voices