WISE addresses diversity with first junior board
During its annual meeting last year, the Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) announced it would be expanding its mission around diversity and inclusion in 2021. Part of this action is the creation of its first junior board of directors.
The organization tapped Phyllis Jonson, senior director of own brands at Catalina, to lead the group. Johnson was named a Top Women in Store Brands in 2020, a 2021 Game Changer and penned this guest post for Store Brands on reaching shoppers of color with private label.
Nominations are open now to submit for Top Women in Store Brands 2021 consideration.
The inaugural junior board includes seven members: Nabiha Asfar, Topco; Mayra Buenrostro, Daymon; Lisa Eatherton, John B. Sanfilippo & Sons; Kristen Jones, Massimo Zanetti Beverage; Charlie New, Whole Foods; Kiana Remagni, Bonduelle; and Miranda Sakschek,Treehouse.
“I am so excited to be a mentor to the first junior board of directors at WISE,” said Johnson. “This talented group is so diverse and extremely passionate about driving diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for WISE and the store brand industry. They are the next leaders and it’s an honor to work with them.”
Each member will serve a two-year term with the option for renewal at the end of the second year; junior board meetings are held virtually once per month starting in July. The members also sit on a WISE committee and will have the opportunity to transition to the WISE board of directors in the future.
“The WISE organization is a bedrock of our industry that represents an ever expanding cause for the diverse community within the private label sector,” said New of Whole Foods. “It is not just an honor to be a part of this board, but an opportunity to impact an organization that I greatly admire. It’s an opportunity that I, and the many members, will pursue with a passionate spirit and a growth mindset. We are so excited to see what comes from this group of people with big ideas.”
Buenrostro added: “It is a great privilege to be involved in such a dynamic organization such as WISE. Not only do I get the opportunity to network and further my professional development with peers in the private label business, I also get to advocate for diversity and inclusion in our industry.”