Bevel Founder Tristan Walker To Step Down As CEO Of The Black-Owned Grooming Brand

In a recent Twitter thread, Walker & Company Brands founder and CEO Tristan Walker announced that he would be stepping down as CEO as he looks forward to new endeavors.

What started out as frustration over the lack of beauty brands for people of color has turned entrepreneur Tristan Walker and his brand Bevel into household names. In 2012, Walker was the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. While there, he co-founded Walker & Co., the parent company of Bevel, a men's grooming brand whose flagship product was a single-blade razor and electric trimmer.

Over a decade later, Walker's Bevel brand turned into a full fledge beauty brand that raised over $30 million dollars in 2015. With board members, which include NBA icon and businessman Magic Johnson and R&B singer John Legend, the brand sold to Proctor & Gamble in 2018 for an undisclosed amount.

Now, in a series of tweets, Walker announced that he will be stepping down as CEO as he embarks on a new journey.

"And all good things..." Walker started off his Twitter thread with a black-and-white image that showed him getting a haircut while speaking about Bevel. "Looking back on an incredible journey that began a decade ago with Walker & Company's founding," the Queen, New York, native continued. His first tweet also described every emotion he felt while typing his announcement.

In an NRF Foundation interview, Walker described why he started his company and his mission. "Walker & Company Brands’ mission is to make health and beauty simple for people of color. I started years ago with Bevel out of frustration that I couldn’t find the right products for myself. At that time, the retail experience left a lot to be desired as far as personal care for people of color was concerned. I decided that people of color deserved better," he said when asked about his early beginnings.

The father of one recognized that Bevel started from nothing in his tweets, yet he also listed the achievements he was able to create through his company.

"Bevel is now a definitive leader in Black grooming," Walker posted. "Now with over 70,000 places of distribution for our growing portfolio of products. We have helped millions choose another way."

Helping millions choose another way isn't hyperbole. Bevel has been sold in stores such as Ultra Beauty, Target and Walmart. With such major retailers behind Bevel, Walker has established himself as an innovator in Black entrepreneurship. And at this level of his success, the Hotchkiss School graduate is embracing the barriers he has broken through his company.

"We've earned the right to say that Bevel's impact has been undeniable," Walker stated. Over the past decade, Walker's emotional rollercoaster has paid off, although his announcement comes at a time where Black entrepreneurs are having a bit of a renaissance.

It took just five years for the multi-billion dollar company Proctor & Gamble to take notice of Walker's company. In 2018 fans were shocked when the former Wall Street oil trader announced the acquisition of Walker & Company. The outcry was more of a reaction from the Black community thinking we were losing a staple in our grooming products to a big company. But, Walker did not go anywhere as the deal laid out kept him as the CEO of his company.

"We’ve always had the vision to make health and beauty simple for people of color,” Walker says. “But now we get to accelerate that vision with the many capabilities Procter & Gamble has to offer. I’m not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere," Walker said in a 2018 interview with Fast Company.

And just like when Walker's authenticity for his company stayed the same when he first sold to Proctor & Gamble, his tweets assured fans and customers that he will still continue his mission regarding grooming and the Black community.

"Starting on July 1, I'll be transitioning from my role as CEO of Walker and Company to spend time focused on two things," Walker tweeted.

One thing Walker will be focused on is advising lead executives at Proctor & Gamble on how to "retain and support exceptional, culturally-astute talent."

For now, Walker is keeping his second announcement under wraps. The leader who helped pave the way and introduce Black men to their beauty is sure to hit it out of the park with his next endeavor.