SONOMA, CALIFORNIA, Mar 5, 2019. The organizers of the International Beauty Innovation Summit, INNOCOS, which took place in Sonoma on March 3-5, announced today the winners of the INNOCOS Leadership Awards, honoring the winners who are making their mark on the beauty and wellness industry.
Selected by the team of independent judges and the organizers, these honorees are recognized for their impressive performance, leadership potential, and the impact they’re making with their companies in the industry through innovation.
- Pascal Houdayer
- Lars Sudmann
- Richard Kestenbaum
- Niland Mortimer
The winners are now announced and they are…
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – Parham Aarabi, Founder and CEO, Modiface, the leading global beauty AR company that became part of the L’Oreal group in March 2018. When receiving the awards, Parham Aarabi, CEO of ModiFace, acknowledged: “While I am honoured to receive this very prestigious award, I also note that entrepreneurship and innovation is a team sport. In that regard, I could not be more honoured to receive this award on behalf of our team at ModiFace. We are excited, energized, and passionate about the road ahead and for the future of beauty tech.”
SOCIAL IMPACT LEADER – Olowo-n’djo Tchala, founder and CEO, Alaffia,
Daya Fields, SVP Marketing has accepted this award on behalf of Alaffia & Olowo-n’djo Tchala. She acknowledged: “we recognize just how prestigious this honor is and the responsibility that comes with it in continuing the work we have done past, present and future. Alaffia is humbled by this honor. We are inspired to stand amongst such innovative brands moving the health and wellness industry towards a more sustainable future for all humankind and for our planet”.
EMERGING LEADER – Jillian Wright, Co-Founder, Indie Beauty Media Group
Few people in the beauty business have done more to nurture, showcase, and promote independent beauty brands than Jillian Wright. With the creation of the now international Independent Beauty Expo platform, Jillian has helped launch literally many hundreds of independent brands in the beauty and wellness category. When receiving awards acknowledged: “ It is recognition of the hard work that Nader and I have dedicated to creating a multilateral platform to support the growth of independent brands and the entrepreneurs behind them. We will continue to push boundaries, helping strengthen the indie community and expand its global reach. Wherever there is an unmet need, we will fill it. I feel so privileged to be a member of this community. “
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION LEADER- Zak Normandin – Founder and CEO, Iris Nova
INNOCOS recognise the importance of disruptive innovation in beauty and wellneess. With the creation of the first frictionless ordering and customer service tech platform, Zak has launched a revolution in Conversational Commerce marketing. The success of Zak’s Dirty Lemon brand of wellness beverages—the first consumer products to be ordered directly via text messaging—has attracted not only loyal customers but also the attention of the significant investors such as Coca-Cola Ventures. The Iris Nova portfolio has expanded to include an experiential retail property, The Drug Store, where consumers can try out new beverage concepts before they’re produced.
LEADER OF THE YEAR – Jessica Hanson, President Amore Pacific USA
Brian Lee, Head of Business Development for Amorepacific US accepted the Leader of the Year award for Jessica Hanson.
“Being the leader of the year is a recognition that Jessica doesn’t take lightly”- he said,“Her first commitment upon joining AmorePacific was to build a collaborative team and celebrate the culture that is deeply rooted in the over 70 year history of our company. She remains focused on making sure all levels of our organization feel part of something significant and ensuring they have what they need to be successful “
Inspired by so many great new categories we would also like to announce today the nominations opened for a new category:
BLUE BEAUTY INNOVATION LEADER
We have created this category in collaboration with Jeannie Jarnot at Beauty Heroes. The Blue Beauty Award recognizes a brand or product that is innovative in its sustainability and ability to make a positive impact on the environment. Submissions can be in the form of beauty, wellness or lifestyle marketing, packaging, formula, community engagement or content. In order to be considered, product formulas must adhere to the Beauty Heroes ingredient standard. The winner of this award will be granted an opportunity to collaborate with Jeannie Jarnot, Founder of Beauty Heroes on a Blue Beauty discovery and placement in the Beauty Heroes e-commerce and brick and mortar stores.
The winner of the award will win the opportunity to collaborate on a blue beauty discovery with Jeannie Jarnot at Beauty Heroes.
We would like to congratulate all 5 winners at INNOCOS Sonoma, who are a great inspiration for our community and for all who is interested in participating next year, contact Irina Kremin: ikremin@innocosevents.com