Full Name
Richelieu Dennis
Job Title
Founder and CEO
Company Name
Sundial Group of Companies
Speaker Bio
Richelieu Dennis is the Founder and Chair of The Sundial Group of Companies, where his entrepreneurial influence spans beauty, media, and culture, including his role as the founder and CEO of Sundial Brands (SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture, a premium hair-care line exclusively available at Sephora), Executive Chair of The Sundial Media Group LLC, a vertically integrated media, technology and experiential company that includes Essence Ventures(ESSENCE, ESSENCE Studios, Afropunk, BeautyCon, Girls United, Naturally Curly, and the New Voices Foundation and the recently-acquired Refinery29, CONDENSED BOILERPLATE HERE). 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 Foundation to provide support services for women of color entrepreneurs to achieve their vision through leadership development, skills-building, networking opportunities, and other innovative leadership initiatives. The Foundation currently serves over 2,500 Black businesses and foundations on its platform.
The New Voices Fund is the largest and most successful fund investing in women of color today, operating at 18x the Fund and flipping the traditional funding paradigm on its head. With over 30 years of experience building businesses from launch to exit, Rich and the Fund also support successful Black women-owned companies such as Mielle Organics, Slutty Vegan, The Honey Pot, Mented Cosmetics, The Lip Bar and McBride Sisters Wine Company.
Also in 2017, Richelieu founded Essence Ventures, an independent Black-owned consumer technology company focused on merging content, community, and commerce to create an ecosystem that meets the cultural and lifestyle needs of people of color. In January 2018, the company announced that it had acquired Essence Communications Inc. from Time Inc., placing the storied publication’s ownership back into the hands of a Black-owned company.
In December 2018, Richelieu announced the purchase of Madam C.J. Walker’s historic estate, Villa Lewaro, via the New Voices Foundation. Upon completion of restoration efforts, Villa Lewaro will be used as a learning institute, or think tank, where women of color entrepreneurs will receive in-person and virtual curriculum-based learning and other resources to help build, grow, and expand their businesses.
Richelieu has been named by OWN to its “SuperSoul 100” list celebrating 100 trailblazers using their power, vision, and life’s work to bring a higher level of consciousness and move the world forward. He has also been named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company. In 2017, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the country in which he was born, conferred upon Richelieu one of the nation’s highest honors – the distinction of Knight Commander, admitting him into the Most Venerable Order of the Knighthood of the Pioneers.
In 2023, Richelieu helped broker one of the largest acquisitions of a Black-female-founded company – the acquisition of New Voices Fund portfolio company Mielle Organics by Procter & Gamble. Rich has been featured in numerous publications. including Forbes, Adweek, INC., TechCrunch, AfroTech, CEO World Magazine, Black Enterprise, CNBC, NASDAQ, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Oprah Daily, and many more.
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 Foundation to provide support services for women of color entrepreneurs to achieve their vision through leadership development, skills-building, networking opportunities, and other innovative leadership initiatives. The Foundation currently serves over 2,500 Black businesses and foundations on its platform.
The New Voices Fund is the largest and most successful fund investing in women of color today, operating at 18x the Fund and flipping the traditional funding paradigm on its head. With over 30 years of experience building businesses from launch to exit, Rich and the Fund also support successful Black women-owned companies such as Mielle Organics, Slutty Vegan, The Honey Pot, Mented Cosmetics, The Lip Bar and McBride Sisters Wine Company.
Also in 2017, Richelieu founded Essence Ventures, an independent Black-owned consumer technology company focused on merging content, community, and commerce to create an ecosystem that meets the cultural and lifestyle needs of people of color. In January 2018, the company announced that it had acquired Essence Communications Inc. from Time Inc., placing the storied publication’s ownership back into the hands of a Black-owned company.
In December 2018, Richelieu announced the purchase of Madam C.J. Walker’s historic estate, Villa Lewaro, via the New Voices Foundation. Upon completion of restoration efforts, Villa Lewaro will be used as a learning institute, or think tank, where women of color entrepreneurs will receive in-person and virtual curriculum-based learning and other resources to help build, grow, and expand their businesses.
Richelieu has been named by OWN to its “SuperSoul 100” list celebrating 100 trailblazers using their power, vision, and life’s work to bring a higher level of consciousness and move the world forward. He has also been named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company. In 2017, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the country in which he was born, conferred upon Richelieu one of the nation’s highest honors – the distinction of Knight Commander, admitting him into the Most Venerable Order of the Knighthood of the Pioneers.
In 2023, Richelieu helped broker one of the largest acquisitions of a Black-female-founded company – the acquisition of New Voices Fund portfolio company Mielle Organics by Procter & Gamble. Rich has been featured in numerous publications. including Forbes, Adweek, INC., TechCrunch, AfroTech, CEO World Magazine, Black Enterprise, CNBC, NASDAQ, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Oprah Daily, and many more.
Speaking At
