Executive Bios

Date Joined Mary Kay:
March 20, 2017

Dr. Lucy Gildea has over 20 years of experience in global product development across numerous product categories. As Chief Innovation Officer, Product and Science, Dr. Lucy Gildea stands at the forefront of cutting-edge scientific research. Since joining Mary Kay Inc. in 2017, she has helped secure its status as a leading skincare and nutrition innovator in the direct selling and cosmetics industries. 

With more than 1,600 patents for products, technologies, and packaging designs in its global portfolio, Dr. Gildea leads the company’s Global Research and Development, Product Portfolio Strategy and Planning functions to deliver Mary Kay products and their Innovation Pipeline for the future. 

Prior to joining Mary Kay, Dr. Gildea excelled during a 15-year career at Procter & Gamble. Working primarily in beauty technology and beauty/skin product development she also held senior roles where she managed the global research and development teams for upstream technology, product development, and measurement sciences across formulated consumer product categories. During her tenure at P&G, Dr. Gildea lived in Singapore, advancing her experience with international markets.

Dr. Gildea oversees and implements changes in methods, products, and processes to enhance Mary Kay’s competitiveness and improve organizational efficiencies. Her strong leadership and analytical skills have helped the company to identify, develop, and drive transformative initiatives while aligning overall business strategy with innovative product development initiatives. 

Having lived abroad, she enjoys traveling for leisure, good food, and spending time with her husband Jerry and their four children — Jack, Sean, Louie, and Ty.

A graduate of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Dr. Gildea earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She continued her education at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where she earned a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases. Her academic career also included a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Immunology in a joint appointment with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati Department of Immunology. 

Affiliations, Activities & Recognition

• Board Member/Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation, Present
• Board Advisor/Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Present
• Board Director/Cancer Support Community North Texas, Present

FAVORITE MARY KAY QUOTE:

“Success is largely a matter of stumbling forward. We fail forward to success.”