Cosmoprof Announces Moderator, Panelists for CEO Forum

In the midst of a turbulent economic climate and a hard-hitting recession, the beauty industry has found itself at a crossroad. Join Ann Mincey as she moderates a CEO forum to discuss the current state of the beauty industry. Listen to candid feedback on where the beauty business is trending and what this panel of industry leaders is doing to change the look of beauty and beyond.

Mincey was recently honored as a Legend at the Legends & Icons Charity Gala, which took place during ISSE 2010. The Gala honored industry leaders who have made an indelible mark on the direction of the professional beauty industry and the lives of countless salon professionals. She recently celebrated her 35th year with Redken 5th Avenue NYC in 2009 and has stepped into a new role as chief spokesperson for the brand. As an integral part of the branding and management of Redken, Mincey brings a wealth of worldwide industry experience and is often credited as the ‘face and voice’ of Redken. Throughout her outstanding career, Mincey has developed and delivered inspiring messages of confidence, well-being and communication skills for salon professionals, distributors and clients throughout the world. Her honors, both within the industry and outside, are countless.

This year's experienced panelists include:

  • John Heffner, CEO of Creative Nail Design (CND), has enjoyed a career built on multifaceted experience with premier companies, such as Procter & Gamble, Chesebrough-Ponds (Unilever) and Creative Nail Design. His strong record of sales results, leading-edge marketing, and trade marketing, as well as a hands-on approach to general management, uniquely qualifies him as an industry leader. Under Heffner's leadership as president/CEO, Creative Nail Design has substantially outpaced category growth and captured global leadership positioning. In addition to his role at CND, Heffner has also played an instrumental role in the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) having served on the board for a number of years and serving as chairman in 2006/2007. The City of Hope "Spirit of Life" award, the highest honor in the professional beauty industry, was presented to Heffner in July of 2007 and his campaign raised $1.4 million for breast cancer research.
     
  • Ron Krassin, president and CEO of Zotos International, has more than 25 years of business experience with a handful of quality companies, which have all been leaders in their particular fields. Krassin began his business career in accounting with Coopers & Lybrand. After a few years in public accounting and earning his CPA, he decided to broaden his skills and earned an MBA from the University of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan, he moved into marketing/brand management at Procter & Gamble. P&G was a terrific learning experience and taught him sound business practices, that consumer needs must be the key driver in making decisions, and that new innovative quality products are essential for growth. After leaving P&G, he consistently held jobs of increasing responsibility in marketing and then general management. Before coming to Zotos, he was the vice president of marketing with Remington Products before the company was profitably sold to Spectrum Brands in Madison, WI. Krassin opted not to relocate and accepted the newly created position of COO at Zotos. After a few months, he was promoted to president. This is his sixth year with Zotos. He and his team have had a significant impact on the company and have transformed Zotos from an organization losing market share and experiencing double-digit declines into one of the fastest-growing professional beauty companies. Krassin was promoted and took on the additional responsibility of CEO in 2007.
     
  • Pat Parenty, president of L'Oréal Professional Division, joined the Federated Department Store executive training program upon graduating from college. In 1983, he joined the professional salon industry as a territory manager in the northeast for Lamaur, Inc., based in Minneapolis. During the next several years he held several positions with Lamaur in sales and marketing and assumed the vice president, salon division, position in 1988. Parenty joined L'Oréal's Professional Products Division as vice presdient, sales, for Redken in January 1997. He then became vice president, general manager for Redken in 2000 and senior vice president, general manager in 2002. Under his leadership, Redken had double-digit sales and profit growth as the company evolved its original DNA of innovative technology and strong education to create an inclusive culture that attracted salon stylists throughout the U.S. market. In 2009, Parenty moved into his current role as president, U.S. brands, L'Oréal Professional Products division, overseeing the U.S. business for Redken, Pureology, Matrix, L'Oréal Professionnel, Mizani, Kérastase, Shu Uemura Art of Hair, and L'Oréal Technique.
     
  • Michael Riley, COO of Scrupples, has more than 25 years of experience in both manufacturing and distribution throughout North America and Europe. He brings a diverse array of knowledge to Scruples. Riley's beauty career began with the fundamentals of manufacturing. Before long, he found himself in charge of facilitating the relocation of a production plant and starting up a new full-scale manufacturing plant. In a career shift, Riley took on a new role in professional product distribution in North America and Europe. He started in sales and marketing and worked through the ranks to administrator. Riley then became the general manager of stores and full-service companies with warehouse throughout Canada, where he started up two direct sales force operations. Riley's position propelled business growth, eventually leading to a multinational distribution organization acquiring the company. Throughout this, Riley played an active role in the trade industry and served as a vice president of the Allied Beauty Association, where he sat on various boards and panels, including audits and shows committees. In 2006 Riley returned to the manufacturing side of the industry when he joined Scruples with responsibility for global sales. He soon relocated to Scruples' head office in Minneapolis to become part of the company's board of directors. Today, he serves as Scruples' chief operating officer.

The CEO Summit for the Professional Industry—Beauty Never Fades the Pulse of the Industry will be held in conjunction with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and is scheduled for Monday, July 19, 2010, from 3:30–4:30 PM in Pavilion B on the Cosmoprof North America show floor. The conference tickets are $20 for PBA members and $30 for non-members. After June 21, prices will increase by $10. To register, please visit https://cosmoprofnorthamerica.com//news_press/MediaRegistration.aspx. Cosmoprof North America 2010 will take place July 18–20 at the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com.

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