Crabtree & Evelyn, Ltd announced the appointment of Stephen W. Bestwick to president, and Rick Ruffolo as executive vice president, of global brand marketing and Innovation.
Crabtree & Evelyn’s new leadership team blends the very best of tradition with innovation, according to the company's press release: Bestwick brings a wealth of knowledge and more than 20 years of finance and operations experience at Crabtree & Evelyn while Ruffolo is an industry-recognized expert in consumer-driven innovation, in fragrance development, and consumer marketing with a long history of profitably driving growth and strategic innovation at some of the world’s leading consumer-facing companies.
Before his appointment to his current position, Bestwick has held various positions of increasing responsibility within the company, including financial controller, who restructured and reorganized company operations in Australia, and executive vice president of global operations, where he was responsible for restructuring the global supply chain of the company and its affiliates. His most recent tenure was as acting president where he successfully guided the company through the Chapter 11 exercise. In this role as president, he will oversee the company’s sales channels (retail, wholesale and e-commerce) as well as manufacturing and distributions operations in the USA. Bestwick will also retain executive responsibility for the company’s global supply chain which spans 40 countries.
Bestwick holds a bachelor's degree from Bryant University where he graduated with a major in business administration with a concentration in accounting. He resides in Rhode Island with his wife of 19 years and their four dogs.
Ruffolo’s career spans more than 20 years starting in brand management at Procter & Gamble followed by executive leadership positions of increasing responsibilities at Ralston Purina (Wonder Bread), SC Johnson (Glade), Limited Brands (Bath & Body Works and The White Barn Candle Co.), and Illuminations. Most recently Ruffolo served as the chief marketing, brand, and innovation officer at the Yankee Candle Company where he delivered more than $1 billion in total net sales and increased new product productivity through a disciplined, consumer-centric innovation process that he created. Ruffolo holds several patents for his innovation work, and has developed and launched three separate brands/businesses in the last decade each of which has generated more than $1 billion in revenues—and counting. In this role, he will oversee the company’s global brand marketing and innovation initiatives.
Ruffolo graduated summa cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Business and received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis (The Olin School of Business). He has successfully co-chaired both national and local fundraisers for the American Heart Association and serves on the School Board of St. Mary’s Academy. A former Division I soccer player and a multi-sport athlete in high school, Ruffolo enjoys coaching his five children in soccer and basketball, and spending as much time as possible with his wife of 18 years.
