02062017 aqua capabilities

Introduction

26 February 2017 Aquarius Group, LLC Confidential

MORE THAN 20 YEARS

Leading transformative growth initiatives for leadingbrands & businesses ranging from entrepreneurialstart-ups to Fortune 500 companies

Proven success driving open thinking, developing winning strategies and championing new capabilities

E-commerce, digital merchandising, content and asset development, transformational innovation, global teams, portfolio management, brand management, consumer insights, strategic partnerships

Passion for exploring new business models and new profit structures

Connecting strategic direction with clear operational priorities and accountability

Extensive experience in matrix structures with both P&L accountability and shared service expertise

Diverse network of best-in-class partners and resources

Mary Ann has the rare skill & insight to balance short-term tactical needs against the uncomfortable demands of an ever-changing business place and to meet these challenges head-on. She is an effective, driven leader who understands the need for continuous innovation and transformation. She led a large management team with confidence and savvy & unified their diverse needs into a concise, actionable vision.

Jaclyn Suzuki, Ziba

Overview


INSPIRING AND MOTIVATING TEAMS TO CREATEDISRUPTIVE GROWTH

Developing growth strategies to drive organizational alignment & exceptional growth

Creating disruptive business models & transformational innovation opportunities resulting in step-change performance

Developing e-commerce and digital marketing as a strategic advantage

Managing brands to realize their full potential

When you put together the words “strategic” and “growth” no one I know brings a stronger combination of skill and experience. Mary Ann has a unique ability to provide real strategic vision to any business challenge; in particular, she understands how to lead organizations in creating and implementing innovative new business models and transformative growth initiatives.

Mike Docherty, Venture2

6 February 2017 Aquarius Group, LLC Confidential 4

Developing Growth Strategies

4 ESSENTIALS TO OUTSTANDING GROWTH STRATEGY1. Inspiration – gets your organization excited about the future2. Inclusive – outlines a role and contribution for all areas of the

business3. Specific – enables people to take action4. Measurable – outlines clear goals and accountabilities

Our facilitated working sessions will:

Build a vision and roadmap to achieve successDefining inspirational consumer-centric business vision, mission anddirectionDeveloping actionable, measurable & achievable business strategyInvestigating alternative business modelsEvaluating business portfolio segments and developing frameworks toprioritizeQuantifying goals, metrics & establishing KPIsLeading stakeholders throughout process

Imagine the future stateOffering a portfolio of different products and servicesSeeking new user targetsDistributing through different channelsDelivering a new value proposition and pricing structure


Mary Ann’s perspective and point of view was valued by me and her colleagues, and frequently led to enhanced strategic clarity. She is a “thinker” and a “doer”, which is a rare and valuable combination in my experience. In all cases, she provided leadership, insight and unwavering focus on consumers and their needs.

Glen Waisner, Managing Partner, Catalyst Consulting Partners, LLC

ResultsNew revenue streams have been created that are morefrequent and include licensed cookbooks, a recipe APP, mealstarters, frozen and fresh meal kits, licensed meals inrestaurants and home delivery meal kits.

Strategic Vision & Direction

StrategyBy thinking beyond the physical product which limited our scope,we were able to extend the reach and meaningful interactionpoints with consumers. Now, beyond providing a tool to helpcreate a meal, the brand is providing inspiration, instruction,content, consumables and experiences. And the consumer isactively engaging with a community of peer to peer sharing andproblem solving


CASE STUDY - ChallengeAfter decades in a market leadership position, an iconic housewares brand was facing increasing competition, declining sales and lackingmeaningful connection with the millions of consumers already owning the brand and product


4 REASONS TO FOCUS ON INNOVATION

1. To drive growth & profitability

2. To stay ahead of the competition

3. Everyone in your organization becomes more creative4. You’ll find more good ideas to improve your core business too

Our facilitated engagements will:

Reimagine the multi-year plan with new possibilities and initiativesDefining disruption and the consumer value proposition

Filling the innovation pipeline, managing the road map

Establishing priorities and making trade-off decisions

Championing initiatives through proof-of-concept, development,launch and incubation phases of development

Defining parameters, important milestones and KPIsTest, learn and adjust

Managing risk within the context of existing business model

Balancing complexity, time to market and ROI

Developing prioritization tools to serve business objectives

Identifying resources & partners

Transformational Innovation


Asoka Veeravagu, Founder & CEO – Afterburner AutomotiveFormer VP New Business Development – Jarden Consumer Solutions

Mary Ann demonstrates a unique blend of deep strategic thinkingand intense executional drive; both approached with a creative mindset that is second to none. Mary Ann has a keen ability to focus on moving forward, and she is also gifted at working future-back.

… Her expertise, marketing acumen and ability to work hands-on helped foster success--- by building cross divisional teams within the organization, validating the multi-channel marketing approach, and providing the long term strategic and product vision.

Brian Janeczko, Wicked Start

Transformational Innovation


ResultsA new category was created that added tens of millions ofdollars of revenue to the business within three years.

StrategyBy seeking the intersection of a unique combination of ideas,capabilities, partnerships or services that solve a passionateconsumer need or pain point, we created a disruptive productthat reimagined how a consumer replicated restaurant-qualityresults at home. We combined technical know-how from multiplepartners with our own, delivered expectations previously onlyavailable outside the home and redefined the consumerexperience, engagement and value proposition.

CASE STUDY - ChallengeHow do you create a step-change growth pattern in your own well-established business where you’re already a leader?


4 EASY STEPS TO GETTING STARTED WITH ECOMMERCE

1. Define your strategy

2. Give your organization permission to start testing

3. Leave technology decisions to the experts4. Make smart & informed choices that enable business growth

and expansion

Our facilitated project leadership will:

Define your strategic advantageDefining omnichannel strategyMapping vision & points of differentiationAssortment planning, pricing, fulfillment, services, data & analyticsContent development & curationEstablishing a social voiceOutlining key success factors, beginning test programs

E-Commerce & Digital Marketing


Mary Ann Mary Ann is a true professional. Her leadership and vision not only provided stability and collaboration for a diverse set of business units and brands, but also set a direction that allowed growth and innovation to take place. She helped to orchestrate the launch of 26 independent brands, with new creative, on a new e-Commerce platform, in just 9 months – an incredible demonstration of leadership and vision. This master architecture then set the stage for the global expansion of the e-Commerce business. Mary Ann is driven and focused on achieving the right goals and doing the next right thing, and is still able to be in relationship and rapport and have fun along the way. I would highly recommend Mary Ann for any organization looking to transform, and take the next step toward innovation.

Rich Lyons, Lyons CG



Ongoing engagement and project management:

Advising decisions on tools, partners and implementation plansEvaluating investment and implementation optionsManaging timelines and partner & stakeholder deliverablesWorking in phases, remaining agile

Engaging internal and external subject matter expertsAssessing internal capabilitiesDeveloping metrics & dashboardsAligning stakeholders and clarifying accountability

product master data

rich content

data warehouse

Contentproduct

transactional data

digital asset management

e-commerce transactional

platform

CRM

marketplace gateway

product demo’s

email

content syndication

affiliate marketing

marketplaces

brand.com

consumers

retail.com

affiliatesMary Ann can easily walk out to a desired future state for a product, brand or new business, paint a clear picture of what it can become and have the insight to know precisely how to get it there. Her thoughtful strategic approach to growing new businesses is unparalleled. Asoka Veeravagu, Founder & CEO – Afterburner Automotive

Former VP New Business Development – Jarden Consumer Solutions



ResultsOver a three year period, sales grew 30%+/year. Contentcreation has increased more than 3X and is 2-5X moreengaging.

Strategy

By clearly defining strategic purpose, roles and differentiation strategy for each channel to co-exist with one another, this quickly became a competitive advantage. By balancing internally-built capabilities and those leveraged with external partners, we were able to quickly develop and deploy information, content and offers in a more strategic, integrated and thoughtful fashion that resulted in significant growth.

CASE STUDY - ChallengeHow does a Fortune 500 business with established distribution strength with big box, brick and mortar retailers establish an ecommerceand direct to consumer business without putting core revenue at risk.


WILL YOUR BRAND RESONATE IN EIGHT SECONDS OR LESS?Our average attention span shrunk 25% in the last 15 years from12 seconds to just 8 secondsIs your brand recognizable, relevant & engaging?Will your brand pass the 8 second challenge?

Our approach will define:

Meaningful emotional connections to unlock the full potential ofyour brand

Clearly defined and consumer-meaningful brand valuesConsumer promise statements articulating the essence and valuepropositionBrand expansion opportunitiesBrand portfolio strategy to optimize profitMeaningful touch points and engagement strategy

Brand management framework to build relevance and preferenceDeveloping and managing brand identityGlobal management principles & guardrailsMeaningful consumer engagement

Brand & Portfolio Management


Working on many major initiatives for iconic brands including Mr. Coffee, Oster and Crock-Pot, faced with a world of empowered consumers, dynamic markets and increasing transparency, Mary Ann expertly and consistently inspired the team to expand their thinking about the brands and helped guide us on the journey to clearly define ownable foundations for what they stood for, what needs they served and their unrealized potential.

Lisa Cody, Jarden Consumer Solutions

Mary Ann offers a broad perspective on global brand management that balances master brand discipline without losing perspective on the underlying consumer dynamics at the regional or local level.

Lisa Cody, Jarden Consumer Solutions

Brand & Portfolio Management


Results

The number of countries in which the brand conducts business has more than tripled.

Strategy

Starting with consumer research, we clearly identified the universal equity elements that would remain constant around the globe. Next, we agreed upon the flexibilities required to both reinforce the global position and address regional values and local customs & norms.

CASE STUDY - ChallengeAs brands expand and grow globally, reaching outside their core market, how do you balance a global master brand with local marketneeds, traditions and requirements while preserving and strengthening equity.


Inspiring and Motivating Teams to Create Disruptive Growth


DREAM BIGGERimagine the future state

establishing strategic vision & direction to drive organizational clarity, alignment & performance

BECOME A DISRUPTERreimagine the possibilities… think beyond evolution andtruly disrupt

creating disruptive business models & transformational innovation opportunities resulting in step-change performance

GROW FASTERget started, engage experts & execute

developing e-commerce and digital marketing as a strategic advantage and growth driver

MAKE MEANINGFUL EMOTIONAL CONNECITONSbuild relevance and preference

managing brands to realize their full potential

Mary Ann is an inspirational leader, comfortable bringing forth and creatively solving business challenges with disruptive ideas. She creates new opportunities and delivers results by empowering others to think bigger and strive to achieve more, while respecting the cultural norms, processes and operating constraints within an organization. Mary Ann brings teams of diverse experience and discipline together to effectively create disruptive ideas, align on priorities and deliver results through collaboration, empowerment and resourcefulness.

Mark Johnson, Innosight

[email protected]

561.376.1076

Services

02062017 aqua capabilities