The Person Running AI at E.L.F. Beauty Has a Non-Negotiable For Her Team and Her Daughter

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin and Jen sit down with Ekta Chopra, Chief Technology and AI Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, to explore what it takes to lead a company through the AI era without losing the human at the center of it, and why her “human first, human last” rule works just as well at the kitchen table as it does in the boardroom. Ekta started her career in aerospace, moved into private equity, and became an operator at Charming Charlie during a period of hypergrowth, where she learned to trade perfection for continuous improvement. She joined e.l.f. in 2016 as VP of Digital and a team of one. On day one, the office manager handed her a laptop and said, “You’re in technology, right? Set it up.” Nine months later the company went public, after 54 highly complex projects. Today she leads a global team of nearly 150 people, with one standard that hasn’t changed: zero business disruption. The hardest test came during e.l.f.’s SAP implementation, a project she was told would get her fired. Midway through, her project lead told her she couldn’t do it and walked away. At the same time, Ekta’s mom had a heart attack and her daughter was changing schools. Instead of pushing harder, Ekta took a week off and went away with her family. She came back with total clarity, hired the right leader within two weeks, and delivered the project with zero business disruption. Her lesson: when your body tells you to pause, listen. At home, the same intentionality looks like a protected window from 6 to 8 PM, when her team knows not to call and her daughter, Anu, gets her full attention after volleyball practice. It looks like a printed poem by Anu’s desk, a hilarious mother-daughter text chain, and teaching her daughter to stand up for herself before Mom steps in. And it looks like an AI rulebook for an almost-12-year-old Roblox developer: safety first, play with it, and never outsource your thinking. This is a conversation about intentionality, empathy, and the AI future, and why the more the machines do, the more human connection matters. In this episode, you’ll learn: What it took to get e.l.f. ready for its IPO in nine months, starting as a team of one Why Ekta took a week off in the middle of the riskiest project of her career, and what it gave her The 6 to 8 PM rule her team respects, and the moments she’ll drop everything for How her mom’s Diwali tradition of handmade laddoos for her employees shaped how Ekta leads today Why she taught her daughter to confront a classmate directly before involving the teacher Ekta’s AI rules for kids: security first, AI as a critic not a ghostwriter, and no outsourced thinking Why “know your agent’s identity” is the biggest problem brands need to solve right now Top Takeaways: Pause before you break. Stepping away during a crisis is not quitting. It’s how you come back with the clarity to make the right call. Consistency builds trust at home. A daily window your family can count on matters more than making every game. Human first, human last. AI can start the thinking, but the human owns the judgment, at work and at home. Let kids handle their own conflicts first. Solving every problem for them teaches helplessness, not confidence. The people closest to the work should reimagine it. At e.l.f., teams have cut processes from four weeks to four hours. Govern the front door, then let people play. Innovation and risk management only work together. About Ekta Chopra: Ekta Chopra is the Chief Technology and AI Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, where she oversees technology, innovation, AI, security, and risk management. She joined e.l.f. in 2016 as VP of Digital, led the company’s technology readiness for its IPO, and has since built a global 00:00:00 Introduction to Ekta Chopra 00:00:46 Current role at ELF Beauty and family life 00:01:32 Lessons from Charming Charlie's hypergrowth 00:03:43 Joining ELF and evolving leadership style 00:05:48 Becoming an operator, not just a technologist 00:07:43 Intentionality and presence as a working mom 00:10:31 Communicating work demands to her daughter 00:11:49 Sacrifices, regrets, and being present 00:14:27 Handling pressure and taking a pause 00:17:03 Staying connected through small joyful moments 00:19:39 Roots of empathy and kindness 00:21:53 Standing firm on values in difficult situations 00:24:39 Teaching her daughter to stand up for herself 00:26:50 Parenting philosophies and learned helplessness 00:28:19 AI playbook: human first, human last 00:30:50 Vibe coding and personal AI projects 00:32:15 Predictions on AI agents and brand identity 00:34:25 Brand love in an AI-agent shopping future 00:38:16 Building AI adoption playbook at ELF 00:40:15 Examples of AI transforming workflows 00:41:49 Advice for organizations starting AI adoption 00:43:47 Maturity framework for AI adoption at ELF 00:45:31 AI parenting playbook and final reflections 00:49:31 Closing thoughts and farewell