Denise Paulonis

President & CEO Sally Beauty

Denise Paulonis is an accomplished executive recognized for her disciplined, pragmatic leadership and her ability to guide organizations through complex and challenging environments while maintaining a clear focus on long-term value creation. She is President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Board Director of Sally Beauty Holdings, where she is leading one of the world’s largest specialty beauty retailers through transformation and growth.

Since stepping into the CEO role in 2021, Denise has focused on strengthening the core business while accelerating progress across customer experience, digital platforms, loyalty, product innovation, and supply chain capabilities. She is known for setting clear priorities, driving accountability, and empowering leaders to act—bringing clarity and momentum to organizations navigating rapid change.

Prior to Sally Beauty Holdings, Denise served as Chief Financial Officer of Sprouts Farmers Market, overseeing finance, strategy, ecommerce, and analytics, and helping expand digital capabilities during a period of significant disruption. Earlier, she spent six years at The Michaels Companies, including as EVP and CFO, where she helped lead an omnichannel transformation and strengthened the company’s capital structure to support sustainable growth.

Prior to Michaels, Denise served in senior leadership roles at PepsiCo and McKinsey & Company after starting her career at Procter & Gamble. She has served on the Board of Directors of Conagra Brands since 2022, where she chairs the Audit & Finance Committee. Denise has been recognized as one of Dealmakehers Most Inspiring Women Leaders, a Top Woman in Retail, one of Women Inc.’s Most Influential Board Directors, and the Dallas Business Journal’s CFO of the Year.