Bushbalm, the Ottawa Wellness Brand, Names New Chief Marketing Officer

Ottawa Brand Brings In Global Beauty Experience

Ottawa skincare brand Bushbalm has named Michele Snyder as its new chief marketing officer, according to the Ottawa Business Journal. Snyder is three weeks into the role as of the report.

Snyder's resume runs through some of the biggest names in the skincare industry. From 2002 to 2011, she led marketing at SkinCeuticals, then joined L'Oréal's global marketing team after the company purchased SkinCeuticals. She went on to spend eight-and-a-half years as senior vice-president of global marketing at Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, followed by two years as chief marketing and innovation officer at Image Skincare. Snyder is currently based in New Jersey.

Why Bushbalm Wanted Her

Bushbalm was co-founded by David Gaylord, who serves as the company's CEO. Bringing in an executive with Snyder's background at global beauty giants signals the Ottawa company sees room to grow its reach beyond the customer base it has already built.

Snyder herself pointed to that gap as a reason the hire makes sense. She said Bushbalm has great connections with the consumers it actively seeks out online, but risks not knowing the consumers it hasn't yet connected with. That's the kind of blind spot a marketer with experience scaling brands at L'Oréal and Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare is presumably being asked to help close.

The Ottawa Angle

According to the Ottawa Business Journal, the professional channel, meaning sales through spas, clinics and other professional partners, is currently the largest channel of Bushbalm's business. And while Bushbalm sells across North America, its Canadian roots still show in the numbers: 10 to 20 per cent of its North American business is Canadian, more than is typical, in part because it's a Canadian company.

It suggests Bushbalm is trying to build out its marketing muscle without losing the base that got it here.

What's Next

The Ottawa Business Journal report doesn't detail specific campaigns or targets Snyder plans to pursue, beyond her stated focus on reaching consumers Bushbalm hasn't already connected with online. For now, the appointment itself, and the pedigree behind it, is the story: a local wellness brand pulling in leadership from L'Oréal, SkinCeuticals, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare and Image Skincare as it looks to expand its footprint.

Earlier This Month

Bushbalm isn't the only Ottawa company making leadership news lately. Cohere's Ottawa venue, now rebranded as the Cohere Centre, has also been talking publicly about its own growth ambitions under new branding, as covered in ottown's earlier report.

Sources: Ottawa Business Journal