David Browne's Email

Management-level researcher, writer, editor, and speaker with nearly 20 years of natural products industry experience. Global traveler with prolonged cultural engagements, having spent nearly three years since 2005 exploring 30+ countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the South Pacific. Expertise: Industries: natural/organic products (food and beverage, nutritional supplements, personal care); specialty/gourmet products (food and beverage). Skills: market research, consumer behavior, leadership, retailing, buying, product development, e-commerce, project management, operations, training, and mentoring.

Market Research & Retail Analyst @ Food and beverage market research: Consumer survey construction and analysis; market sizing and sales analysis; product and product claim trends; category performance and forecasting. Natural and specialty retailer support: Pricing and product assortment evaluation; brand and category bench-marking and performance gaps; merchandising and marketing guidance. From April 2014 to Present (1 year 7 months) Greater Bay AreaSenior Analyst @ Represented Mintel’s U.S. office as expert on the natural products and gourmet food sectors to clients and the media. Wrote and edited 24 syndicated reports annually. Oversaw report construction, editorial content, primary and secondary research, and data collection. Maximized report value with extensive knowledge of retailers, merchandising, key category players, consumer behavior, historic data, and relevant news. Trend-spotted frequently to assist clients in identifying product innovation opportunities and potential new markets. Key contributions & successes: Lead energetic, goal-oriented presentations with actionable insights to leading CPG clients in person and via webinar (ongoing). Presented as keynote speaker at Michigan State University’s “Making it in Michigan” conference (2011). Co-presented valuable insights on the gluten-free market at Natural Products EXPO West to a standing-room only crowd (2012). Co-presented bi-annually at the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Shows on the state of the gourmet food industry (2009-2012). Defined and reported on three niche, yet flourishing, markets; gluten-free food, stevia, and ethnic food. From April 2009 to June 2012 (3 years 3 months) San Francisco Bay AreaVice President, Content Services @ Oversaw the SPINS Natural Products Library, a proprietary database of roughly 500,000 products. Oversaw team’s daily priorities, from adding new products to attribute expansion (e.g., USDA organic, fair trade), based on client need and emerging industry trends. Managed team of up to 10 staff on and off site, responsible for all aspects of workload, hiring, mentoring, and promoting. Provided support to 13 sales representatives, as well as all clients, retailers, distributors, and brokers nationwide. Served as media spokesperson on a variety of industry-related topics. Wrote articles to the trade to raise awareness of SPINS’ services and to generate revenue. Worked regularly with key partners including the Nielsen Company, Whole Foods Market, and the Specialty Food Association to generate customized, high-value reports. Key contributions & successes: Grew the Natural Products Library to triple its original size over a seven-year period. Successfully executed dozens of significant content enhancements to the Natural Products Library, resulting in increased revenues and client retention. Established industry-standard definitions to best categorize natural products and maintain SPINS’ competitive edge. Collaborated with The Nielsen Company’s senior management to develop a proprietary Health and Wellness Products database of more than one million UPCs moving through conventional and natural supermarkets. Promotions: Interim Director of Operations (2005), General Manager (2006) while concurrently performing as Director of Content Services. Promoted from Director to Vice President, Content Services (2006). From 2000 to 2007 (7 years) Merchandising Director @ Oversaw all aspects of merchandising and buying for health and wellness e-commerce start-up. Supervised a team of seven, directed product procurement, pricing and margin strategy, promotions (daily, weekly, monthly), and inventory control. Designed product category hierarchy for the online shopping interface. Developed and approved project specifications for website enhancements, including improved navigation, easier access to products, and a more intuitive user interface. Key contributions & successes: Joined company as fifth employee, prior to launch, and was solely responsible for selecting and procuring 6,000+ products under extremely tight deadlines. Directed the creation of a private label brand with an aggressive roll-out goal of 100 UPCs (10 of which were launched in the first three months of business). Created and maintained product library, including hand-photographing 4,000+ products prior to launch. Functioned as product expert for the company, responding to press and consumer inquiries. Compellingly presented merchandising strategy to venture capitalists, resulting in $25 million in fund raising. Promotions: From Merchandising Manager to Merchandising Director (2000). From 1998 to 2000 (2 years) San Francisco Bay AreaTeam Leader, Whole Body @ Effectively and successfully managed all operations for a team with four sub-departments. Responsible for hiring, firing, and advancement. Purchased all herbal supplements, spices, teas, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, body care products, books, and magazines at the store level. Demonstrated first-class customer service while assisting consumers with a variety of health-related issues. Worked in four stores in two states, including the highest volume store in the company at the time (San Francisco, CA). Key contributions & successes: Aggressively rose through company ranks, starting as a cashier and ultimately advancing to store shift manager and department head. Guided Whole Body team to significantly and regularly outpace overall store growth by 20-40%, while still meeting profit margin and inventory targets. Hand-selected by senior regional management to train Whole Body staff for three new store openings. Designed and led in-store, new team member orientations, educating staff about natural and organic products. Hired and mentored several employees that went on to lead departments in other stores. Promotions: Buyer (1993), Assistant Team Leader (1994), Team Leader (1995). From 1992 to 1998 (6 years) Texas, California

BFA, Illustration @ Rhode Island School of Design From 1986 to 1990 David Browne is skilled in: Market Research, Marketing, Product Development, Management, E-commerce, Analysis, Strategy, Consumer Behaviour, Leadership, Data Analysis, Marketing Research, Sales, Start-ups, Retail, Analytics