Monica Fahnhorst – Revlon

Monica Fahnhorst has always believed that every person carries inherent worth—regardless of title, background, circumstance, or the roles they happen to occupy in any given moment. It is a belief grounded in her faith, one that has shaped her since childhood and continues to guide her through every professional decision, personal encounter, and leadership moment. Now serving as senior counsel focusing on data privacy and technology for Revlon, she carries that conviction into one of the world’s most recognizable beauty companies—an organization whose mission is to inspire confidence and self-expression through products used across the globe.

Monica Fahnhorst | Revlon | Senior Counsel, Data Privacy and Technology

Revlon’s modern identity is built on helping people feel seen, valued, and empowered through beauty. The company offers cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and personal care products while pursuing digital innovation across its global footprint. As Revlon continues its digital transformation—leveraging analytics, new marketing technologies, and increasingly AI-driven tools—Fahnhorst   is focused on honoring the rights and dignity of every consumer and employee when evaluating those innovations. Privacy, she believes, is a universal human right. Respect is not optional. And the way a company shows up in the world should reflect these principles.

“I try to lead with, and honor, my values every day,” she says.

That theme—treating people with dignity—threads through every chapter of her life. It shapes how she approaches complex legal questions, how she collaborates with teams, how she mentors others, and how she contributes to responsible corporate practices. It is also deeply personal. “People deserve and desire to be seen, heard, acknowledged, and valued,” she says.

Early awareness

Fahnhorst began building that worldview long before she entered the corporate or legal arenas. She spent her early adulthood traveling the world through Semester at Sea, where she studied cultures and economies across continents. Later, she immersed herself in international human rights at Oxford’s Magdalen College and in international criminal justice in The Hague. Those experiences opened her eyes to the universality of dignity, and to the disparities in how it is upheld.

They also planted the seed for the career she would eventually pursue. She felt drawn toward advocacy, fairness, and the protection of vulnerable communities. She represented children in foster care early in her legal journey, an experience that fortified her belief that acknowledging another person’s worth can change the trajectory of their life. Her commitment to fairness became both a personal principle and a career compass.

Before practicing law, she built a foundation in marketing and supply chain compliance through roles at General Mills and Target. Working alongside global trade attorneys, she saw how legal expertise could clarify the most complex problems and bring order to chaotic scenarios. That clarity inspired her. She realized she wanted to play that role—helping teams find solutions, chart paths, and address risks while ensuring fairness guided every decision.

“I quickly realized that I wanted to pursue a career in law,” she says.

Law school followed, then the beginning of a career with unexpected mentorship from one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century: former Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale.

Fahnhorst became Mondale’s legal researcher and advisor early in her tenure as a trial attorney at Dorsey & Whitney. She helped him prepare for major events, drafted speeches, and supported his work on constitutional, legal, and geopolitical topics. But what struck her most was not his résumé or historical significance—it was the way he treated her.

“He was the most important person I have ever worked with, but treated me with the most respect and equality,” she says.

He listened intently. He asked questions about her work, her challenges, her opinions. His humility and kindness reinforced her belief that titles neither elevate one human above another nor diminish someone else’s value.

“I think to myself, ‘if Vice President Mondale didn’t make me feel insignificant or undervalued, then you shouldn’t,’” she adds.

Carrying values into corporate spaces

Fahnhorst’s career has spanned diagnostics, hospitality, and tech startups, giving her a front-row seat to the ways organizations succeed—and struggle—when building responsible structures. She helped develop responsible business programs, worked on corporate sustainability initiatives, and implemented anti-human trafficking protections for the Radisson Hotel Group. Across every industry, she has witnessed the positive change that occurs when leaders center fairness and respect.

“At its core, a lot of the work I do is problem solving,” she says. “Let’s solve a problem and achieve our goals using the talents of the group.”

That philosophy drives her work at Revlon, where she collaborates with IT, marketing, consumer insights, HR, supply chain, and other departments to ensure new technologies align with global privacy and emerging AI laws. Digital transformation moves quickly—faster than legislation can often keep up—and her job is to balance innovation with human-centered responsibility.

She makes sure teams understand why privacy and AI guidelines exist, how to build compliant processes, and how to carry Revlon’s values into their daily work. She sees herself as a true member of every team she supports, not a detached legal reviewer. That interconnected approach, she says, makes collaboration stronger and the outcomes better.

“We take consumer trust very seriously at Revlon,” she says. “Our consumers matter to us, and their rights matter to us.”

As AI tools become more embedded in consumer insights, marketing, and business operations, she advises her Revlon business clients to ask the right questions: Does this tool create bias? How do we ensure human oversight? Are we strengthening inclusion or unintentionally limiting it? Are we protecting human dignity at every step?

Her leadership style also reflects lessons learned from strong women who guided her career. At Target, she watched her mentor, Jessica Libby, motivate teams with quiet confidence. At home, her mother modeled bravery, care, and advocacy for those who could not advocate for themselves. Her great aunties—leaders in obstetrics and pediatrics during eras of limited opportunity for women—showed her how to push boundaries with grace.

Those examples taught her to lift others up, encourage quieter voices in meetings, and make sure colleagues feel seen. It is not unusual for her to redirect attention back to someone whose idea was overlooked, or gently but firmly stop interruptions that silence female colleagues. For her, inclusion is not a corporate obligation; it is a moral responsibility.

“I’ll often be the first to say ‘hello’ when passing you in the hallway, because, well, ‘I see you,’” she says.

Sustaining purpose

To stay grounded in a role filled with complex regulations and demanding timelines, Fahnhorst invests deeply in the places and relationships that replenish her.

Family is at the center—her parents, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, godchildren, extended family, and especially her mother, whom she describes as a trailblazer. Time with friends, laughter, and shared experiences provide another vital source of energy.

Animals also play a major role in her life. After losing her beloved “souldog,” she turned to fostering rescue dogs, offering a temporary home to animals who need safety and care. She recently took in her ninth and 10th fosters—sisters—and finds fulfillment in helping them transition toward their permanent homes. Horses, too, have entered her world through time spent on a ranch near Jackson Hole, where she explored the intuitive, emotionally rich world of horse whispering.

Nature remains a place of restoration and clarity. She spends summers at her family’s lake cabin paddleboarding—often with a dog aboard—surrounded by quiet water and sunlight. She travels frequently, recently visiting the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays, Fraser Island, and Banff National Park.

Physical movement connects her to joy and presence, whether through dance, barre classes, hiking, or rollerblading. These rhythms of life give her the space to think, reflect, and return to her work energized and creative.

Finding dignity in the details

Whether guiding Revlon through complex privacy requirements, evaluating AI tools, or shaping responsible business practices, Fahnhorst believes the same principle applies: All people deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and fairness.

“We need to stay true to our values when incorporating AI tools,” she says.

In every role she has held, she has chosen to advocate—for children, for consumers, for vulnerable populations affected by global supply chains, for employees who feel silenced, and for colleagues navigating change. Her view is simple: dignity is nonnegotiable. And leadership, at its best, elevates others rather than overshadowing them.

She sees herself not as a gatekeeper, but as a partner—someone who helps teams solve problems, unlock ideas, and do so in ways that honor the humanity of everyone involved.

“Treating people with kindness and respect and being a voice for those who need it is really why I am here,” she says.

It is a philosophy that aligns seamlessly with her faith, her family, her mentors, and her global experiences. And it is the thread she carries into each decision at Revlon—a belief that the world becomes better when every person is seen.

Because in Fahnhorst’s world, dignity is the starting point. And everything else grows from there.