Sandra Halliday
Published September 15, 2026Reading time
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Space NK CEO steps down, marketing chief is new top executive
Sandra Halliday
Published
September 15, 2026
Prestige beauty retailer Space NK has a new leader with Emma Simpson-Scott having taken over as CEO this week.
It comes as Andy Lightfoot, its decade-long head who led it through a major growth period and its takeover by Ulta Beauty, steps down.
Ulta’s president and CEO Kecia Steelman thanked him for his “10 years of service and all that he has done” for the business, including the British retailer’s recent acquisition by the American giant.
She highlighted how, under his watch, Space NK “has achieved significant growth, strengthened its position as a market-leading beauty retailer, and… his legacy will be felt for many years to come”.
Lightfoot had originally joined in 2016 as global digital director and stepped up in 2019, leading the business through the tough times during and after the pandemic and building it into an even bigger player than it had been at the high end of British beauty retail. He also expanded its store presence and introduced new concepts to its physical spaces.
The most recent opening was at the Lakeside mall in Essex this summer with the company now having a presence at just about all the key malls and shopping destinations in the UK.
Simpson-Scott has also been at Space NK for a decade, having spent seven-and-a-half years of this time as its chief marketing officer. She has over 20 years of experience working across luxury retail, brand marketing and customer experience.
Steelman hailed her “deep customer insight, retail expertise and a passion for building exceptional teams”.
At the same time, Space NK has a new CFO with Hannah Quy having joined this month, and a new senior VP of retail & e-commerce. In that role, Tiff Ruis has joined from Ulta Beauty.
