2020 Future Leaders Awards winners hail from PepsiCo, PopSugar and Allbirds

Brand
Mike Jeong, PepsiCo marketing manager

As the brand manager of the newly launched PepCoin platform, Jeong has taken on the development and enhancement of the platform interface and commercial implementation of the program, including packaging and shopper marketing programs. Under his leadership, over 70 SKUs were launched in market since 2019. 

Agency
Arafel Buzan, co-lead of Mindshare’s Neurolab 

Buzan, a neuroscientist, joined Mindshare and launched NeuroLab, which uses medical-grade electroencephalogram and galvanic skin response technology to measure the consumer response to brands and media, in 2019. After her first study with NeuroLab, Buzan was able to debunk the theory that sight trumps sound in advertising — the study showed 21% higher emotional intensity to audio-driven brand stories as compared to purely visual ones. 

Publisher
Gwendolyn Rahn, senior director, client services at PopSugar

PopSugar’s creative services group was started under the watch of Rahn in 2017 and now serves as internal account management, is sold as an advertising solution and acts as the in-house activation team for tentpole events like Play/Ground, which draws 15,000 women together yearly. Since 2017, the team has executed campaigns for Nordstrom, Sorel, Adidas and Samsung and client renewals have grown over 20%.

Technology Provider
Annie Wazer,  vp of client operations at Stylitics

Since joining Stylitics, Wazer led the launch of the style management and outfit recommendation mobile app ClosetSpace, and has scaled operations and effectively tripled growth numbers year over year for the past three years. Wazer has also become a leader in empowering other women in business through mentorship with Her Campus and the Dreamers // Doers organization.

Beauty
Emily Wasserman, manager of global digital innovation at Coty

Since joining the global digital innovation team at Coty in 2017, Wasserman has assisted with the launch of Coty’s first web-based augmented reality software, the strategy for the first Covergirl flagship in Times Square and the launch of Clairol Color Expert, a first of its kind voice activated hair color assistant. Outside of the office, Wasserman has become the youngest adjunct professor of Futures, a course on digital disruption at Parsons School of Fashion.

Wellness
Daphne Jaeschke, Simris’s commercial director

As the commercial director of Simris, Jaeschke oversees all brand operations including marketing, communication and product development. Since joining the company eight years ago, Simris has grown from a biotech startup to a consumer wellness brand that is now listed on the Nasdaq First North growth market in Stockholm.

Fashion
David Hauser, The Arrivals’s general manager

Hauser, who oversees a team of over 20, has spearheaded the company’s last four retail store openings and has created a path for new and more unique distribution channels for The Arrivals. Hauser also leads new investments for Brainchild Holdings, The Arrival’s parent company, in the consumer, healthcare and eCommerce sectors.

DTC
Hana Kajimura, Allbirds’ sustainability lead

Sustainability is at the forefront of Allbirds strategy, and that team of one is headed up by Stanfor- educated, former Environmental Defense Fund team member Kajimura. Kajimura has pushed Allbirds to commit to carbon neutrality from 2019 forward with the help of the Allbirds Carbon Fund, which is a self-imposed carbon tax that will incentivize the brand to become 100% neutral.