Recognized internationally as a leader in the salon and spa sector, Eveline is the founder and CEO of the multi-million-dollar business – EvelineCharles Salons | Spas | Beauty MD | Academy. She is the first woman to be inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame and was listed in the Top 100 of Ivey School of Business and Soctiabank Group’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2007. Eveline was also named Marketer of the Year in 2001 by Alberta Venture Magazine, and was consistently listed in the top 50 for Profit Magazine’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs from 2004 to 2007. Eveline has received two Global Salon Business Awards for Canadian Entrepreneurship, first in 2004 in London, England and then in 2006 in Barcelona, Spain. Throughout her 40 years in the beauty industry, Eveline Charles has been honoured for her leadership, innovation and remarkable business accomplishments. Her countless entrepreneurial awards include Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2011 and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Eveline started as hairstylist in 1974, and she continued to grow her business in the following years with EvelineCharles Salons | Spas | BeautyMD, after 43 years of business she has expanded to seven locations between Edmonton and Calgary. In 2005, the first EvelineCharles Academy was opened in Edmonton, a beauty institute that that offers cosmetology, esthetics and makeup artistry courses, which is the largest in Canada.  In 2010, she opened her new state of the art EvelineCharles Academy in Calgary. EvelineCharles Labs opened in 2016, manufacturing products in the personal care business. The company is now expanding into franchising and plans to franchise across Canada with the Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Involved in the community, Eveline is also a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Compassion House Foundation – where breast cancer patients receive support during diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Other organizations that are supported include Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS), Stollery Children’s Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Diabetes Association, United Way, and UNICEF.

As President of EvelineCharles Salons | Spas | Beauty MD, Lina is responsible for conceptualizing the company vision and implementing corporate strategies to meet revenue, productivity, and profitability goals for the company’s six Salons | Spas | Beauty MD, two beauty academies, a company product line, and the newly formed EC Labs. Lina is an independent leader who thrives on creative problem solving and innovation within the company. If there was one word to describe her business personality, it would be persistent. No matter what hurdles have come forth while building the EC enterprise, Lina has always had the ability to maintain the vision that has elevated EvelineCharles to the next level.

In 1995, Lina joined EvelineCharles Salons | Spas | Beauty MD working at the location level, where she was recognized as Spa Manager of the Year by Spa Management Magazine. Over the years, Lina led many departments including product development, marketing, and operations. Her comprehensive understanding of each department makes her an integral member of the executive team. As President, Lina now works in the strategic level, guiding the encapsulated and vertically integrated business and overseeing the company of 215 employees.

EvelineCharles innovative nature is driven by Lina’s tenacious need to exceed the beauty industry’s boundaries, which is why the company has branched into custom formula design and manufacturing through EC Labs for the health and beauty industry. Throughout the implementation of the EC Labs business model, Lina continues to work with an international team of formulators and chemists as well as with the Alberta Government, in order to diversify the Canadian export industry.
Lina assisted in the implementation of EC Academy, further vertically integrating the company. In addition to the various full-time and part-time courses that EC Academy offers, Lina envisioned bringing the beauty education online. This idea was accomplished through the EC Virtual Classroom, an online makeup course that is offered nationwide. As Lina grew up in the small town of Falher, Alberta, she saw the need for a platform that provided opportunities and education to these remote areas.

As an advocate for the beauty industry, Lina is a keynote speaker at colleges and universities throughout Western Canada. Lina refers to her Marketing Diploma from NAIT as the launching point of a career she is passionate about. To raise the bar in the beauty industry, Lina delivers national and international workshops on topics such as product development, marketing, salon and spa operations, succession planning, and successful business management models. Her success has been recognized by the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the World Presidents Organization (WPO).