BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A former National Beverage Corp. executive has joined Celsius Holdings Inc. to lead the beverage brand's sales and marketing effort.
Vanessa Walker, an executive leader with a proven track record of establishing and revitalizing brands and particular expertise in the beverage industry, comes to Celsius Holdings as executive vice president of sales and marketing, reporting to Gerry David, president and chief executive officer of Celsius.
“The fact that we could recruit and secure a proven industry leader like Vanessa Walker validates our accelerating momentum and the ultimate potential of Celsius,” David said. “Vanessa brings more than 22 years of experience in the retail and beverage industries and a wealth of relationships which will serve us well as our brand continues to increase in popularity. She will be instrumental in broadening distribution both domestically and abroad, improving sell-through and growing our brand equity.”
Walker joins Celsius from National Beverage Corp., where she managed all aspects of the LaCroix Sparkling Water brand, serving as executive vice president of sales and marketing. At Celsius, she will lead the sales and marketing effort, as well as the development and execution of the corporate strategy. Walker will coordinate the efforts of the vice president of sales and the vice president of marketing.
Walker created the business plan and strategy to revitalize the LaCroix Sparkling Water brand, and over the last eight years, this successful effort resulted growth of sales from less than $35 million in 2008 to more than $175 million in reporting segments in 2015, according to SPINS.
Previously, Walker served as director of marketing for Big Red from 2006 to 2007, working primarily to relaunch the Red JAK energy drink. From 2004-2006, she served as the senior vice president of sales and marketing and cofounder of the Manhattan Beverage Co. From 2001-2004, Walker was vice president of national accounts for IN ZONE Brands, makers of the then BellyWashers and TummyTicker brands (today, Good to Grow), where she successfully positioned the lines into national retailers. She was ultimately promoted to vice president of national accounts, leading a team of five across the country to develop the brand in all channels of trade.
Celsius, the world’s only negative calorie drink, backed by clinical science, is the first brand offered by Celsius Holdings Inc., Boca Raton, Fla., which has a corporate mission to become the global leader with a portfolio of high-performance brands offering proprietary or patented brands offering significant health benefits steeped in nutritional science.
“The Celsius brand has been on shelves for more than 10 years in the U.S. With growing consumer demand, it has stood the test of time in the face of intense competition," Walker said. "Today it is sold around the globe and expanding rapidly as it sits poised to take advantage of the converging energy, sports nutrition and dietary supplement categories. I am excited to help build this brand, expand distribution, drive sales efficiency and ultimately create lasting shareholder value.”
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