Experience

Andre's Confiserie Suisse

• United States
• Food and Beverage Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Shipping Department

  • Dec 2021 - Present



Anagram International

• Manufacturing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Sr. Director; New Product and Licensing

  • Feb 2019 - Jun 2021

  In this role I oversaw new product development, from ideation to launch, for this $100M-plus manufacturer of consumer-focused entertainment products. I was responsible for creative and technical development of licensed product lines. I facilitated up to $40M in annual revenue, with individual projects valued as high as $3M per year. I utilized forecast and sales data to determine new product lines based on budgets and launch schedules. I provided creative direction and project management for the Product and Packaging teams. I supported more than 100 domestic and international licensed property product programs, including Disney, Mario Brothers, NFL, and others. I guided the development of support materials such as packaging and collateral, led project teams and administered project budgets and held product and project P&L responsibility. I conceptualized and pitched product ideas to senior management, performed line planning for products, directed special projects for the company president, and ensured the incorporation of VoC needs into products. Selected Accomplishments:• Enabled more than $1M in new revenue in 6 months by directing the development and launch of a new product to directly challenge a competitor’s product in a major retail channel.• Increased brand visibility and sales by directing a brand reinvigoration process in partnership with an outside agency that included a new brand approach, logo, corporate identity, graphics, packaging, and social and marketing style guides, plus a renovated website.• Enabled the protection of more than $5M in revenue by partnering with the Global Sourcing team to create a molded paper replacement for an EU-banned single-use plastic accessory.• Enhanced efficiency and minimized expenditures by introducing a score card system based on industry best practices to facilitate the assignment of Go/No Go status at each stage of project planning.

• Director, New Product Development

  • Jun 2010 - Feb 2019

  I was hired to help establish the company’s first formal product development process and pipeline, based on industry best practices, to reduce inventory and focus on profitable products. I carried out ROI, market share potential, competitive, and manufacturing risk analyses. I led semi-annual reviews of sales and P&L to determine retention or retirement of licensed and new products. I supervised a staff of up to 3, managed project budgets, and monitored project and product P&L numbers. I implemented the product pipeline, working with internal and external marketing resources to develop product strategy, including channel positioning, cost determination, distribution, merchandising, and promotions.Selected Accomplishments:• Spearheaded refreshing of product lines and developed new formats within specific categories.• Reorganized the new product development process, including market research, creative development, packaging, merchandising, sourcing, manufacturing parameters, intellectual property (IP) protection, manufacturing, and market launch.• Improved efficiency and production capacity by increasing size of 3D design team.



Jeanmarie Creations LLC

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Creative Director

  • Apr 2001 - Jun 2010

  Job Description: During this time, I was a key member of the senior management team at this design and manufacturing firm, responsible for the Creative, Marketing, and Licensed Art Acquisition teams. Supervised a staff of up to 18. I led product development, creative direction, project scheduling, staffing, training, hardware and software management, sourcing, creative relationship management (artists, freelancers, agents), budget control, and more. I provided direction for creative presentations and production files for customers and accompanied sales teams for key customer presentations (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) I administered $1.6M in budgets, managed P&L, and facilitated $10M or more in annual sales. I maintained relationships with more than 200 artists and licensors, managed the acquisition of licensed artwork and negotiation of financial arrangements with freelancers and service providers. Selected Accomplishments: • Implemented a New Product Development workflow for the company to broaden and diversify product line. • Enhanced ideation by leading conceptualization sessions with the Sales, Marketing, and Creative teams. • Increased sales 25% in 1 year by implementing a team focused on trend identification. • Spearheaded the modernization of the design group by migrating from an analog to a digital design model. • Introduced changes that increased capabilities and reduced costs by expanding business with overseas printers. • Consistently met or exceeded KPIs for revenue and profitability. • Created a system to track art licensing costs to reduce licensing expenditures, and developed a digital design menu for designers that enabled them to see production costs during the build process.



Anagram International

• Manufacturing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Licensing Manager

  • 1996 - 2001



Hallmark Cards

• Licensing Program Designer

  • 1990 - 1996