Building Brand Equity and Financial Value on Amazon

Lori is a proven leader with an over 30-year track record of problem-solving at world-class organizations. Lori successfully led multiple portfolios and brands across Healthcare and HBA at Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, in both DTC and professional channels. She recently joined New England Capital Group in January 2021, as a Principal in its prestigious HealthCare and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) practices. Before joining NECG, Lori's role was Worldwide President at NeoStrata, a Johnson & Johnson Company. Lori has served on the Board of Cosmetic Executive Woman (CEW) and she is a past recipient of the Annual Leadership Award and YWCA Annual Tribute to Woman and Industry (TWIN) Awards. Lori is a graduate of Wilkes University and holds an MBA from Rutgers University.

Julian Chu is a senior advisor to consumer brands and B2B enterprises and an investor in early-stage companies in the consumer, eCommerce, and digital advertising markets. In these roles, he brings deep experience with technology-driven business innovation and growth.

He was most recently an Operating Partner at Castanea Partners, a private equity firm that works with founders of consumer passion brands to grow their businesses through a combination of capital and operating expertise. During his tenure at Castanea, Julian pioneered the role of operating partner and led strategic initiatives in the areas of digital marketing and eCommerce for such brands as Drybar, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Proenza Schouler, and MacKenzie-Childs.

Previously he was head of eCommerce for PUMA North America, the first head of Client Success for eCommerce software company Demandware (now Salesforce Commerce Cloud), and a business development and consulting practice leader in IBM’s retail/CPG industry group. Julian began his career as a management consultant working at the intersection of business and technology at Mainspring, Cap Gemini, and Digital Equipment Corporation.

A graduate of Harvard University, Julian continues to reside with his family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Prior to Market Defense, Vanessa was Director of Sales, Marketing & Merchandising at Beauty.com, where she led, negotiated and managed deals with some of the biggest brands and retailers in the business. Her history also includes influential roles in Marketing and Training & Development at MAC Cosmetics, Tiffany & Co. and The Body Shop. Leveraging her massive network of established relationships, she brings the world’s prestige beauty brands and Market Defense together, creating unique opportunities to drive online revenue and profits through the Amazon channel. A Partner in Market Defense, Vanessa is dedicated to each brand’s marketing and merchandising success.

Kelly Kovack is the CEO and Founder of BeautyMatter, a noted beauty authority, brand advisor and strategist. She began her career in beauty as one of the original executive team members at Bliss, taking on the way women bought beauty as the Managing Director of the Bliss Catalog. This venture fundamentally changed the way beauty products were merchandised, distributed and marketed to consumers leading the acquisition of Bliss by LVMH. As Vice President of Marketing for Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, she was at the forefront of defining the cosmeceutical category. Kelly also founded consultancy group Purpose Built, providing concept to counter solutions and strategic advisement for startups to Fortune 500 brand and everything in between. In addition, she's also built her own brands, most recently award-winning fragrance brand, Odin, which was co-founded in collaboration with the men's fashion brand. Kelly is the “lens” of BeautyMatter providing a fresh voice to the beauty industry with highly curated news and original content.