People on the move … March 17
Drug Store News has rounded up all the retail pharmacy, beauty and wellness comings and goings to help keep you informed. Here are this week’s announcements.
Maesa names Oshiya Savur as chief brand officer
Global beauty incubator Maesa has announced the appointment of Oshiya Savur as chief brand officer.
“I have always thought of myself as an intrapreneur challenging the status quo while relentlessly pursuing product, media and content innovation,” said Savur. “I rejoice in being first to market, trying things no one has done before, and creating my own strategic frameworks in how I view Marketing. Working at Maesa is a dream come true!”
The company said Savur has a successful track record of creating and leading high-performing teams. Her career includes senior omnichannel and brand management roles at Unilever, Revlon and Elizabeth Arden and, most recently, at Charlotte Tilbury, North America, “where she achieved top-ranking sales in Prestige Beauty and drove growth through strategic Earned Media and Influencer Marketing campaigns.”
As chief brand officer, Savur will oversee product development, creative, brand and trade marketing, communications and social and influencer marketing.
Maesa said this latest executive appointment builds on a new era of diverse and mission-driven leadership under recently appointed CEO Piyush Jain.
“This is a very exciting time for Maesa as we continue to strengthen our leadership team to accelerate profitable growth for the company,” Jain said, announcing Savur’s appointment. “Maesa is already one of the leading global beauty incubators and Oshiya’s arrival will further strengthen our position. I am looking forward to Oshiya building on the strong innovation and marketing fundamentals at Maesa and to continue expanding the Maesa Magic and making Maesa the absolute best beauty innovator and marketer globally.”
SpartanNash promotes Todd Riksen to VP, corporate controller and principal accounting officer
Food solutions company SpartanNash has promoted Todd Riksen to vice president, corporate controller and principal accounting officer.
Riksen will oversee all company accounting functions and report to executive vice president and chief financial officer Jason Monaco.
“Todd has provided incredible leadership to our finance organization as we navigated a companywide turnaround these past couple of years,” Monaco said. “He and his team will continue to provide best-in-class accounting support as the Company makes progress toward our long-term goals. As part of our People First culture, we are proud to promote from within to fill this critical role.”
Riksen joined SpartanNash in April 2018 as director of financial reporting and corporate accounting and was named vice president, and corporate controller in March 2021. Prior to SpartanNash, he spent nearly 12 years in the assurance practice at EY.
Karina Zimerfeld joins Mars Food & Nutrition as global R&D vice president
Mars Food & Nutrition named former Unilever executive Karina Zimerfeld as vice president of the business' R&D function, reporting to Shaid Shah, president of Mars Food & Nutrition.
In her role, Zimerfeld will lead R&D for Mars Food & Nutrition, including overseeing R&D innovation, quality and food safety, science and technology, and scientific and regulatory affairs.
"Food has a unique role in the fabric of humanity,” Shah said. “It not only fuels us, but brings people together, is central to our health and wellness, and connects us with our planet. I'm thrilled to have Karina join us as we continue our journey as an innovative, purpose driven food business of tomorrow. With 25-years of deep experience in innovation, science and technology Karina will play an integral role in helping us pursue further growth and innovation, drive value for consumers and make a positive impact on society."
The company said Zimerfeld joins Mars after a 25-year career with Unilever. She was most recently global vice president R&D for Unilever's foodservice business unit, leading it through a significant business transformation with numerous initiatives focused on digital, customer-centric, healthy and sustainable innovations.
"As a food lover myself, I'm excited to join the Mars Food & Nutrition team and look forward to leading the charge to use science, technology and innovation to capture opportunities for consumers, while in parallel creating a better, more sustainable world of food,” Zimerfeld said. “And with evolving consumer needs, a pressing climate change, and advances in technology, this is an incredibly exciting time to be in food!"
Beacon Wellness Brands names Lisa Tanzer CEO
Beacon Wellness Brands, an intimate wellness, beauty and personal care company, recently announced the appointment of consumer goods executive Lisa Tanzer as CEO.
"I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity with Beacon Wellness Brands,” Tanzer said. “Attitudes towards intimate wellness, sexual health and self-care are changing and I believe the market has tremendous potential for continued growth. As intimate wellness becomes increasingly destigmatized, there remains a lot of work to do around education, acceptance and empowerment. We look forward to leveraging the company's wellness, beauty and personal care brands to further expand the conversation and the business in retail, e-commerce and other channels."
Beacon markets and sells intimate wellness devices under plusOne brand. The company's beauty and personal care division manufactures facial skincare and grooming products sold under the Plum Beauty and Clio brands.
The company said Tanzer has a diverse background of experience, most recently serving as president of Katie Couric Media Marketplace where she focused on elevating purpose-driven brands. Prior to that, she was president of the positive lifestyle brand Life is Good. She also ran her own consulting firm where she was engaged to provide strategic and marketing plans and develop business partnerships for startups and Fortune 500 companies. She also spent time at Gillette, Staples and Hasbro.
"We are thrilled to have Lisa join Beacon Wellness as CEO during this critical stage of the company's development and growth. Her valuable perspective and presence will help Beacon Wellness to harness our leadership position and drive the evolution of the intimate wellness category that our culture is seeking at this time," said Jennifer Roach Pacini, principal at Yellow Wood, parent company of Beacon. "She has extensive marketing, branding, operational, and financial experience having worked closely with leading CPG, entertainment, and media brands that will help Beacon's products flourish in all channels."
Maria Dempsey named CEO of Love Wellness
Love Wellness, the women's wellness company founded by Lauren Bosworth, announced the appointment of Maria Dempsey as CEO.
Having held senior-level positions at Nest New York, Lancôme, John Frieda and Clarins, Dempsey brings more than 30 years of experience and a proven track record of executive and organizational leadership, strategic brand vision, product innovation and retail and digital successes to Love Wellness, the company said
"I am thrilled to welcome an exceptional leader like Maria to guide our team through the next phase of hyper-growth mode at Love Wellness," said Bosworth. "My goal has always been to make the brand as accessible as possible for women and as our team and business grows Maria is poised to help me realize my dreams for this category and company."
As CEO Dempsey will build upon the company's foundation in women's wellness to deliver exceptional innovation in personal care, the company said, adding that Bosworth will remain as founder and step into a new role as chairwoman of the board, where she will oversee the execution of brand marketing, product development and retail strategy.
"I am so impressed with what Lauren and her team have built and I am energized by the Love Wellness community," said Dempsey. "I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to help guide and grow this amazing company and team at a pivotal point in time. We have a meaningful opportunity to develop additional product categories, increase our digital presence and expand our retail footprint."