Ulta Beauty Taps Domino's Tech Chief Kelly Garcia as New CTO

Ulta Beauty Taps Domino’s Tech Chief Kelly Garcia as New CTO

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7.18.2026

Quick Facts

Kelly Garcia, former EVP and CTO of Domino’s Pizza, will join Ulta Beauty as CTO on August 31, 2026.
Garcia has served on Ulta’s board since 2022 and will resign from that seat when his executive role begins.
The appointment supports Ulta’s Unleashed strategy, which includes AI-driven personalization for its 46.7 million loyalty members.

Ulta Beauty named Kelly Garcia as its new chief technology officer, the company announced Friday. Garcia, who spent over a decade as CTO at Domino’s Pizza, takes over effective August 31, 2026.

Garcia has sat on Ulta’s board since 2022. He will step down from that governance role the same day he steps into the executive seat.

What Garcia Built at Domino’s

Garcia joined Domino’s in July 2012 as EVP and CTO. During his tenure, he built out the company’s AnyWare suite of digital ordering platforms, which spanned Ford SYNC, Apple Watch, Samsung TV, Twitter, and a zero-click ordering app. He also led the rollout of GPS delivery tracking and Carside Delivery.

Between 2022 and 2024, Domino’s consolidated adjusted EBITDA rose 18%. The stock climbed 24% over the same period. Garcia holds a B.S. in computer science and engineering from The Ohio State University.

Why Ulta Made the Move

Former Chief Technology and Transformation Officer Mike Maresca left the company this month. He had been working to expand Ulta’s use of AI agents and build out tiered associate training for responsible AI adoption.

CEO Kecia Steelman pointed to Garcia’s experience across e-commerce, loyalty, and cybersecurity as the deciding factor. “Kelly will be a great addition to our team as we continue to advance our technology capabilities and execute our Ulta Beauty Unleashed strategy to drive market share growth,” Steelman said.

Technology Work Ahead

Ulta has spent recent years overhauling its core infrastructure. The company upgraded its ERP system, replaced an outdated point-of-sale system, moved to a custom digital store platform, and improved data governance. The next phase centers on AI and loyalty data.

Ulta’s rewards program has 46.7 million active members. More than 95% of total sales are linked to those members. The company uses that first-party data to power personalized marketing, inventory decisions, and a GenAI Beauty Consultant tool launched in 2025 that combines augmented reality with predictive modeling.

UB Media, Ulta’s retail media network, is another active build. The network monetizes customer data to deepen brand partnerships and create revenue streams beyond product sales.

Business Scale

Ulta reported trailing 12-month revenue of $12.7 billion as of April 30, 2026. The company holds an estimated 15.3% share of U.S. beauty, cosmetics, and fragrance store industry revenue. The broader U.S. beauty and salon services market reached approximately $126 billion in 2025, according to Euromonitor International and IBIS World.

Ulta also signed a $400 million, 15-year lease for a 26,000-square-foot Times Square flagship store expected to open in late 2027. International growth through Space NK in the U.K. and Ireland, a joint venture in Mexico, and a franchise in the Middle East rounds out the expansion plan.

Garcia’s appointment signals Ulta is prioritizing digital execution at the leadership level as it builds out AI tools, a retail media business, and a global store footprint simultaneously.