Maria Dempsey Named New CEO of Love Wellness
Love Wellness, the total body women's wellness company founded by Lauren Bosworth, today announced the appointment of Maria Dempsey as Chief Executive Officer. Having held senior-level positions at NEST New York, Lancôme, John Frieda, and Clarins, Dempsey brings more than 30 years of experience and a proven track record of executive and organizational leadership, strategic brand vision, product innovation and retail and digital successes to Love Wellness.
"I am thrilled to welcome an exceptional leader like Maria to guide our team through the next phase of hyper-growth mode at Love Wellness," said Bosworth. "My goal has always been to make the brand as accessible as possible for women and as our team and business grows Maria is poised to help me realize my dreams for this category and company."
As Chief Executive Officer at Love Wellness, Dempsey will build upon the company's solid foundation in women's wellness to deliver exceptional innovation in personal care. Bosworth will remain as Founder and step into a new role as Chairwoman of the Board, where she will oversee execution of brand marketing, product development, and retail strategy to drive growth in existing retail channels and expansion to new markets.
"I am so impressed with what Lauren and her team have built and I am energized by the Love Wellness community," said Dempsey. "I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to help guide and grow this amazing company and team at a pivotal point in time. We have a meaningful opportunity to develop additional product categories, increase our digital presence and expand our retail footprint."
Dempsey began her beauty industry career in 1987 at L'Oréal where she worked on the Lancome business in marketing for 12 years, ultimately becoming Vice President of Marketing, Facial Skincare, Sun, Body, and Fragrances. From 1999 to 2003, she was Vice President of Marketing for John Frieda Hair Care and was instrumental in helping to double the business through innovation and strong retail partnerships. From 2008 to 2017, Dempsey held several senior and executive-level management positions at Clarins, most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Marketing for the Americas, United Kingdom, and Travel Retail. Prior to joining Clarins, Dempsey was President and Board Chair of HM Mane Solutions, her own start-up business venture that launched the revolutionary EasyStraight brand of at-home hair care products distributed in drug stores in the U.S. and Australia.
"Maria brings deep industry experience that will benefit Love Wellness as it continues on its rapid growth trajectory," said Kate Wallman, Managing Director of Encore Consumer Capital and Love Wellness board member. "We are so excited to have her join the team."