Else Nutrition Holdings Inc (OTCQX:BABYF, TSX-V:BABY), a plant-based baby, toddler and children's nutrition company, has announced two strategic additions to its executive team as it moves into its next phase of growth. It also updated investors on its upcoming product launches.
The company said it has hired Simeon Saunders as vice president for Global Medical Marketing and Scientific Affairs to lead its global medical marketing, clinical and regulatory affairs worldwide and enhance its global expansion in those areas. Mike Glick has been appointed general manager and vice president of Else North America and will lead the US subsidiary expansion, mainly in medical marketing retail and operations. Glick will also be responsible for the business operations as they expand into Canada.
READ: Else Nutrition introduces education and marketing programs aimed at North American pediatricians
“We are extremely delighted by the addition of Mike and Simeon to the company,” CEO and co-founder Hamutal Yitzhak said in a statement.
“With decades of experience in infant nutrition, they are precisely what is needed to move forward into the next phase of growth,” Yitzhak added.
Saunders joined the healthcare industry after graduating from university, gaining 35 years of commercial experience spanning primary care, specialist pharmaceuticals, and nutritional products in both reimbursed and out-of-pocket channels, including infant formula, medical nutrition, out-of-pocket adult supplements, and sports nutrition.
He has held roles of increasing responsibility within sales, marketing, country and general management, and sat on the board of a powder and aseptic liquid manufacturing plant. The company said Saunders spent 25 years at Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), where his final role was Abbot Nutrition’s divisional vice president for Europe, Middle East, & Africa before establishing an independent consultancy in 2018.
Glick joins Else from a VC-backed healthcare start-up called OFFOR Health, where he was the chief growth officer, tripling revenue and team size while helping the business earn Series A funding and its first Inc 5000 award.
He was previously with a Silicon Valley start-up called Before Brands, where he was VP for Sales and Marketing for SpoonfulOne, a product to help protect children from developing food allergies. There he led new product launches, digital marketing and e-commerce, along with building and managing a medical salesforce calling on pediatricians, the company said.
Before that, Glick spent over 10 years with Abbott Nutrition in various commercial roles in the US and internationally. As senior director of pediatric nutrition within Abbott, he worked mainly in the Pediatric nutrition space on brands like NeoSure, Similac, PediaSure, and Pedialyte.
Separately, the company said it plans a fourth-quarter launch of a series of plant-based complementary nutrition products for babies six months and older, in several flavors.
Early next year Else plans to launch liquid ready-to-drink versions of its Complete Nutrition for Kids products, and a non-organic - and more affordable - version of its successful Toddler product.
It said the launches will grow its product range and are expected to further accelerate sales in all channels. These products will be offered in the US, Canada, Europe and in other markets.
It also plans to offer Canadian tailored products for sale in Canada, online and in retail channels, with the launch planned for the first quarter of 2022.
After developing a series of products that comply with the European Directive, it said it is progressing towards a distribution agreement in France with global health and nutrition company H&H Group.
Additionally, it is in discussions with H&H Group with regards to the distribution of its product line via the H&H cross-border China platform. It plans to start selling its products in Europe early next year.
“In the last few months, we improved our manufacturing processes and product quality, to consistently produce a high quality easily dissolved tasty product,” Yitzhak said.
“Our new kid’s products can be prepared in a cup or a shaker with cold water, something both kids and parents love and appreciate,” she added.
Else Nutrition is an Israel-based food and nutrition company focused on developing innovative, clean and plant-based food and nutrition products for infants, toddlers, children, and adults. Its revolutionary, plant-based, non-soy, formula is a clean-ingredient alternative to dairy-based formula.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com