LXMI was founded by late Leila Janah, who sadly passed away at the beginning of 2020 after a brave battle with Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She was 37 years old. We miss her deeply every day and are more committed than ever to continue her mission and important lifework.

Leila spearheaded a global impact sourcing movement and was a champion for environmental sustainability and ending global poverty. After encountering Nilotica, an heirloom shea varietal, in Northern Uganda, Leila founded LXMI and built an innovative and empowering approach to creating fair-wage jobs and restoring the planet at the same time. 

She was also the founder and CEO of two other organizations apart from LXMI, all sharing the mission to “Give Work”; Samasource, a global technology leader in training data annotation and machine learning validation; and Samaschool, a U.S. based non-profit focused on reskilling for the new economy. She was recognized as a thought leader in tech + social impact, wrote a best-selling book, Give Work, about her journey, and was passionate about conserving the world’s remaining rare plants.

Throughout her short, but well-lived lifespan, she helped to lift over 50,000 people out of poverty in India and East Africa through her Give Work model. Leila’s vision and revolutionary approach to building business with a soul permeates every part of LXMI, and her compassionate philosophy lives on through her family, the team, and our community.

THE FUTURE FOR LXMI

To help guide LXMI through the next chapter and carry forward Leila’s important mission, LXMI’s board of directors has appointed Anna-Maja Björkenvall as the new CEO for the brand. Anna worked closely with Leila since her start with the company and was running LXMI with Leila’s blessing during her cancer treatment. Anna is a mission-driven marathoner/Iron Man triathlete with a passion for helping others and healthy living from the inside out.

With Anna at the helm, we know Leila is smiling down on us, and we couldn’t be happier to be able to march on strongly, confident that we can continue her legacy and keep spreading good in the world. Together we can help marginalized women around the world and actively fight climate change through our daily skincare habits.

We thank you deeply for your immense belief and support in our Beauty for Humanity mission!