CEW's Carlotta Jacobson on the Organization's Legacy and What's Next (Exclusive)

Jackie FieldsFri, April 24, 2026 at 2:29 PM UTC

0

Credit: CEW -

Carlotta Jacobson, former CEW President and current Board Executive Chair will receive the 2026 Catalyst Award at the CEW Achiever Awards honoring women in beauty

Jacobson has grown CEW membership from a few hundred into the thousands during her decades-long tenure with the organization

She also launched Cancer and Careers to support professionals navigating work challenges during cancer treatment

Carlotta Jacobson has a decision to make.

The annual CEW Achiever Awards — which recognize the trailblazing women pushing the beauty industry forward — are fast-approaching. With the 2026 honorees set and the event all but finalized, Jacobson poses the question, “What am I going to wear?”

Frankly, this would be the furthest thing from Jacobson’s mind if she’d not just been asked about her go-to power suit. The answer: These days she prefers a sweater, well-tailored pants and statement jewelry.

It’s a fitting question for Jacobson (who wouldn’t want to know the secret to dressing like a beauty boss?), who’s been laser-focused on shaping the organization which supports the advancement of women in this field for over a quarter of a century.

Since she became president in 1999, Jacobson’s helped grow membership from a few hundred people to 9,000 internationally.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Jacobson, who herself will receive the 2026 Catalyst Award at the ceremony on April 30, shared what her tenure with the organization has taught her, and what she hopes it teaches others, about the power of women.

One thing she and any achiever will tell you is that it takes a village — that’s why joining a professional organization such as CEW is critical.

“I really believe you have to be part of the community, whether it's ours or anyone else's, [otherwise] you’re doing it alone,” she says. “Within that community, there are things that are offered to you that are not going to [be] within the company.”

Networking, especially amid the uncertainty in the industry now, "can enable you to learn about different opportunities," Jacobson says, adding, "Knowledge is what's going to advance everybody right now. And we share it with everyone."

PEOPLE: What have been some of your proudest moments and greatest challenges at the helm of CEW?

Carlotta Jacobson: One of the [proudest moments] is what's coming up, the Achiever Awards, because there was no award that actually honored women in the industry. I felt that was very important. In fact, when I first went to the board and I said, "I think we should do this award for women because no one's recognizing them," the biggest concern was was there enough women. So, we started out with one, and then every year there actually were more and more women so that we now have up to eight women. Within their companies, they're recognized, but they need to be recognized within the whole of the industry.

Advertisement

[The biggest challenge] I think was getting people to understand what we did. We started out with [around] 500 people as members, and we've grown now to over 9,000 members. We have also able to then open up international chapters, which we have in the UK and France. What we're here to show is women are achievers. Women actually run the industry and contribute to it. Without them, it wouldn't be the industry that we have.

Carlotta Jacobson presents at the CEW Achiever Awards in 2008.Credit: CEW

PEOPLE: You called last year's honorees game changers and disruptors. What does it take to be a game changer or a disruptor in this industry now?

Jacobson: Well, I think what it is is the ability to look at something and to be able to change it, to be able to see its potential. And all of these women, they have built businesses. They have been able to look at what's there and what the future is. And that to me is a disruptor: someone who looks at things, isn't very complacent and will take risks.

PEOPLE: You launched the foundation's first independent initiative, Cancer and Careers. Why that was of particular importance to you?

Jacobson: There were board members that received cancer diagnoses, and they had all the medical information they could get, but they didn't know how they were going to handle work. I still remember when someone came to me and said she wasn't going to tell her company because she didn't know if she would be able to be promoted and also [she feared] that other people, unfortunately, would want to take her place. So, to me, there was a need to give guidance, because people could read everything about the medical things, but they were working and they needed know how to talk to their peers and how to talk to HR. They needed support, so what we wanted to do is educate them on ways to handle this.

Carlotta Jacobson (far right) poses with the 2010 Achiever Awards honorees.Credit: CEW

PEOPLE: What do you wish more women in the beauty industry knew about CEW?

Jacobson: Everything that we're talking about, and that the price of admission is not hard. In fact, I think that one should invest in themselves and not expect a company to be the only thing that's going to invest in you. If you want to get ahead, then you want to be part of an organization, part of a community, that's going to help you do that. And everything we do is based on that.

PEOPLE: What do you hope that beauty industry professionals take away from your tenure as CEW President?

Jacobson: I hope they understand that what we're here for. Now, going onto the board as Vice Chairman, to me, it's an opportunity to look at the future. Women are moving, companies are moving, everything is changing, and when you're doing something day-to-day, the management part is tremendous. There's very few times that you can look back and say, "Okay, where are we going?"

Carlotta Jacobson (center) poses with Heidi Manheimer (left) and Jill Scalamandre (right) at a Cancer and Careers event in 2022.Credit: CEW

PEOPLE: In 2026, you transitioned to Executive Chairman of the CEW Board. What’s next for you in your professional and personal life?

Jacobson: I think CEW is my life. [But] I have looked at other organizations that I think are interesting, so, I think it's always going to be about advancing people. Helping make their lives better.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”