Richelieu Dennis is the founder and CEO of Sundial Brands, which includes Sundial Shea Moisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture, a Sephora exclusive premium hair care line. richelieu dennis Sundial Brands is expected to have a 2017 revenue of approximately US$240 million, according to an announcement from Unilever on November 27, 2017. According to estimates, the family-owned company is worth $700 million after Bain Capital acquired a minority stake in it in September 2015.

When Mr. Dennis graduated from Babson College in 1991, he could not return home because of a civil war in Liberia. He was born in Liberia and attended Babson College. In tackling skin and hair care issues typically overlooked by mass market companies, richelieu dennis partnered with his best friend and college roommate, Nyema Tubman, fueled by a passion for entrepreneurship and a vision to fill unmet consumer needs. Incorporating four generations of recipes, wisdom, and cultural experiences from his grandmother, Mr. Dennis founded Sundial with his mother, Mary Dennis, and Nyema Tubman to create natural bath and body care products.

New college graduates would be advised by Mr. Dennis, according to a September 2017 interview with the New York Times, “You have to have conviction about your work to achieve a certain level of leadership and success.” When you are building a business or leading people, there will be many challenges you will face, so you need to have the stomach to stick to what you’re doing. Be sure that you are committed to your belief system. Our company has been in business for 26 years. It took me 16 years to get our products on a retailer’s shelf.”

As one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, Sundial was recognized in 2015 with the Inc. 5000 list and received the WWD/Beauty Inc. award. Widely known for introducing the concept of “New General Market” inclusion to the beauty and retail industry, this company earned the award for “Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the Year.”