Ulta Beauty doesn't do anything small.
So when they needed support to transform how they develop their 55,000+ associates, America’s largest cosmetics and beauty retailer sought a partner who could match their ambition and scale.
Enter: precision skill development. AI-driven matching delivered the right expertise to the right person, at the right time, all within Ulta’s flow of work.
No more generic training catalogs. No more random coach assignments. Just targeted development that actually worked.
The results? Improved employee confidence, enhanced leadership capabilities, and measurable performance gains across director and senior manager populations.
Here’s how Ulta Beauty got there with Growthspace.
The challenge: Scaling quality development across a retail giant
Ultra Beauty has built an empire of 55,000+ associates across the continental United States, but when it came to leadership development, their biggest strength became their biggest challenge: scale.
Generic training modules were too vague for a workforce this large and diverse. Random coach assignments felt disconnected from the day-to-day reality of retail leadership. High-potential talent was getting lost in one-size-fits-all programs that fit no one.
They needed a development solution that could:
- Match associates with high-quality experts quickly and effectively
- Provide flexibility to accommodate diverse schedules and roles
- Deliver development experiences within the flow of work
- Scale across multiple leadership levels and populations
Why Growthspace? The power of AI-driven matching and flexibility
“When we looked at the market and were introduced to Growthspace, we saw they would be a great fit given their ability to help us match our teams with experts quickly and the flexibility to have this experience within the flow of work.”— Paul DeSousa, VP, Talent Strategy, Learning & Development, Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty's market research identified two critical differentiators that made Growthspace stand out:
1. AI-Driven expert matching
The platform's artificial intelligence capabilities ensure high-quality matches between associates and development experts from day one.
"I think the AI-driven matching has been truly game-changing for us. The quality of experts that our associates are matched with has helped them start the program with confidence." — Paul DeSousa, VP, Talent Strategy, Learning & Development, Ulta Beauty
2. Unparalleled flexibility
Growthspace offers the ability to access development at the right time and pace for each individual, regardless of their position within the organization.
"We would certainly recommend Growthspace to other organizations, especially those organizations looking for flexibility and the ability to connect their teams with high-performing experts. The flexibility, the expertise, and then the knowledge that our associates bring back from the experience has been second to none." — Paul DeSousa, VP, Talent Strategy, Learning & Development, Ulta Beauty
From implementation to impact: Leadership development that works
Target populations showing strong results
Ulta Beauty didn't just roll out another generic development program and hope for the best. With Growthspace, they're seeing real impact where it matters most — across their leadership pipeline:
- High-potential leaders identified throughout the organization
- Director-level management
- Senior managers
"I think the Growthspace program has been a fantastic opportunity for identifying high-potential leaders and for further growing and developing them. We've seen great success with our director roles as well as with our senior manager population." — Paul DeSousa, VP, Talent Strategy, Learning & Development, Ulta Beauty
What actually moved the needle for Ultra Beauty
The Growthspace differentiators that delivered real impact:
1. AI-driven matching that works from day one
- High-quality expert connections right out of the gate
- Immediate confidence-building for associates
- Fast time-to-value that shows up quickly
2. Flexibility that scales with real life
- Works with diverse schedules and roles
- Fits seamlessly into workflow instead of disrupting it
- Scales across every organizational level
3. Experts who’ve actually done the job
- Access to industry practitioners, not just theorists
- Authentic relationships built on real experience
- Knowledge that sticks and gets applied to real work
4. Leadership development that actually develops leaders
- Proven effective across multiple management levels
- Identifies and grows high-potential talent strategically
- Creates measurable performance improvements
By the numbers: Ultra Beauty’s precision skill development impact
- 55,000+ associates across the continental United States have access to targeted development
- Director and senior manager populations driving measurable success
- High-potential leaders identified and accelerated through expert-led development
- Measurable performance improvements in confidence, customer delivery, and leadership effectiveness
- Strategic thinking and targeted skills developed where they matter most
- Seamless integration with existing KPI frameworks
Real people, real development: Meet Amelia
The precision matching difference
Amelia's story shows what happens when AI gets the match right from day one. Working on strategic thinking development, she was paired with an expert who actually understood her world.
"Through Growthspace, I was focused on developing my strategic thinking. The overall experience was great. I think I was matched with someone who can really relate to me. It was a mentor who was very genuine and authentic, which gave me a space to be comfortable." — Amelia Gilmore, Director of Compensation, Ulta Beauty
Measurable performance improvements
The real test? Whether Amelia’s development would translate to actual job performance. It did
"We've seen Amelia's performance improve by the consistency of her confidence level, her ability to deliver to her customers, and her ability to show up as a better leader to the team that she supports." — Mike Savage, Vice President, Total Rewards, Ulta Beauty
Key performance improvements observed:
- Increased confidence consistency
- Enhanced customer delivery capabilities
- Improved leadership effectiveness
- Stronger team support capabilities
When development actually works, employees want more of it. For Amelia, this meant a renewed perspective to what it means to learn at work.
"I look forward to learning and also being able to share my success" — Amelia Gilmore, Director of Compensation, Ulta Beauty
Measuring what matters: ROI that connects to real business outcomes
How Ulta Beauty tracks success
Ulta Beauty doesn't measure development by how many people showed up to sessions. They measure it by how those people perform afterward, and how that performance ties back to business results.
"From an ROI perspective, we use the same key performance indicators that we track across all of Ulta Beauty's people success initiatives. We know that as our associates continue to develop their competence, they will in turn deliver higher performance results for the organization." — Paul DeSousa, VP, Talent Strategy, Learning & Development, Ulta Beauty
ROI measurement approach:
- Competency development tracking across all associates
- Performance results correlation to development initiatives
- Integration with existing people success KPIs
- Long-term organizational impact assessment
What’s next for Ulta Beauty?
Ulta Beauty's partnership with Growthspace proves something important: you don't have to choose between personalized development and scale. By combining AI-driven matching with flexible, expert-led development, they've cracked the code on delivering individualized experiences to a workforce of 55,000+ associates without sacrificing quality.
The success across director and senior manager populations, combined with measurable performance improvements and strong employee satisfaction, has made Growthspace an essential part of Ulta Beauty's talent strategy moving forward. When precision skill development delivers results this consistently, it becomes less of a program and more of a competitive advantage. Watch a demo now.
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