Richelieu Dennis is the author and CEO of Sundial Brands, which incorporates SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and the recently submitted Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture, a superior hair care line accessible only at Sephora. On November 27, 2017, Unilever declared consent to obtain Sundial Brands. Sundial’s 2017 revenue is estimated at approximately $240 million. In September 2015, Bain Capital acquired a minority stake in the family-claimed organization for an undisclosed sum, estimating it at $700 million.
History
Brought into the world in Liberia, Mr. Dennis came to the United States to attend the prestigious Babson College of Business. When he graduated in 1991, he was unable to return to Liberia because of the common conflict. Driven by his enthusiasm for the business and supported by a dream of serving the needs of neglected clients, Dennis teamed up with his closest companion and high school roommate, Nyema Tubman, to address skin and hair care issues often overlooked by mass-market organizations. Building on his family’s foundations in Africa and handed down to him by his grandmother, Dennis has brought together four eras of plans, insights, and social gatherings into normal bath and body care items, helping to establish Sundial with his mother Mary Dennis and Nyema, Tubman.
Interview With New York Times
Dennis told the New York Times at a September 2017 meeting that he would urge recent college graduates; “To reach a specific degree of authority and accomplishment, one must have conviction in the thing one is doing. One’s going to face, regardless of whether one’s building a business or leading people, it’s going to be a huge number. So make sure one is willing to keep what one invests. We’ve been doing this for some time. It took me 16 years just to get our items onto a retailer’s shelf.” In 2015, Sundial was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest developing private companies in the United States and received the WWD/Beauty Inc. Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year.” Widely credited for introducing the idea of “New General Market” consideration for business excellence and retail. Mr. Dennis is an Alumnus of Babson College 1991, with a degree in Finance, Investment, and Entrepreneurial Studies.
