August 16, 2013

BBR9 Thought Leader: Eleanor Keare, President of Circle of Friends on “Launching Niche Brands”

August 16, 2013

BBR9 Thought Leader: Eleanor Keare, President of Circle of Friends on “Launching Niche Brands”

With an estimated $49,200,000,000 sales in the baby-product industry in 2013 alone (according to New York magazine), the baby product business couldn’t be doing better.

That’s why it was fascinating for many Beauty Biz Roundtable BBR9 attendees to learn from Eleanor Keare, President of Circle of Friends, as she presented her BBR9 Thought Leader roundtable discussion on “Launching Niche Brands and Creating New Categories.”

BBR9 Thought Leader, Eleanor Keare (President of Circle of Friends)

BBR9 Thought Leader, Eleanor Keare (President of Circle of Friends)

Circle of Friends was founded and nurtured by the world’s great experts on children: moms. Since its inception, the mission of Circle of Friends was to create a professional, safe and gentle hair, bath, and body line for children, while introducing them to a world of kid-friendly packaging which educated them on a world of styles and cultures.

Eleanor Keare became President of Circle of Friends in 2002. Within 2 years, she had increased revenues 5 times. She bought the company in 2005 and has continued to nurture its growth in the professional market. Prior to joining Circle of Friends, Eleanor was a consultant at McKinsey & Co., serving packaged goods and retail clients in the US, Argentina and Brazil. Her creative and strategic perspective have also been influenced by her experiences working with The Body Shop and at Disney.

Eleanor Keare presenting her BBR9 roundtable discussion on "Launching Niche Brands and Creating New Categories"

Eleanor Keare presenting her BBR9 roundtable discussion on “Launching Niche Brands and Creating New Categories”

During her BBR9 roundtable, Keare elaborated on ideas on “Launching Niche Brands and Creating New Categories,”  by sharing her experiences in launching a brand in the baby product industry and working with beauty buyers.

Watch Keare enthusiastically share her thoughts on the booming baby business, how to educate buyers to invest in your brand, and how to maintain your niche brand, in this video here:

Eleanor graduated from Texas A&M University and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. In 1997, she was named one of Working Woman magazine’s “Top 20 under 30.” Eleanor and her family currently reside in Los Angeles.

Read about other BBR9 Thought Leaders like Dan Obegi (CEO of DermStore Beauty Group), Maria Rush (Purchasing & Brand Development at Beauty Collection), Jennifer Goldfarb (President of ipsy)Cesar Arellanes (Center for International Trade Development),  Scott-Vincent Borba (Founder of Scott-Vincent Borba, Co-Founder of e.l.f cosmetics), Amy Liu (VP of Marketing for Josie Maran Cosmetics), and Fabrice Croise (Global Business Development Director for SelectNY)

Click here for more details about BBR9

Click here to view photos from BBR9

About Mazur Group
Hosted by Mazur Group in Los Angeles, the Beauty Biz Roundtable (BBR) series brings together 100 Mid to Senior Level Beauty Executives in a roundtable format that fosters networking and idea sharing.  Attendees are given the opportunity to sit down in small group settings with industry peers. Past BBR attendees and Thought Leaders have come from every major beauty company here in the West Coast. For more details, visit: https://mazurgroupla.com/wp/bbr-events/