Beauty branding and innovation were the key topics discussed during the Beauty Biz Roundtable 10 event held at the Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica on November 5th. The sold-out beauty industry event featured Thought Leaders like Michelle Sorro (Former On-Air Host at HSN, Inc.), Candy Gebhart (Senior Director of Marketing for Joico), and Doug Schorr (Head of Consumer Research at Beachbody LLC) along with Keynote Speaker Jan Lombardo, President of GO SMiLE Inc.

 Hosted by Mazur Group, the BBR series brings together 100 Mid to Senior Level Beauty Executives in a roundtable format that fosters networking and idea sharing. “The West Coast has an incredible amount of beauty industry executives who are all passionate about what they do, but have very limited opportunities with direct interaction. We created the BBR series to give beauty industry executives a chance to meet and connect with each other on a more intimate level,” said Frances Mazur, the President of Mazur Group.

 Beauty executives enjoyed engaging roundtable discussions with nine BBR10 Thought Leaders:

• Don Frey, Principal Consultant for Frey Consultant: “Key Steps to Building a Product and Package Strategy to Complement Your Brand”

• Candy Gebhart, Senior Director of Marketing for Joico: "Risky Business: 10 Gutsy Marketing Moves That Will Make Your Brand Cruise"

• Susan Goldsberry, President and CEO & Claudia Stephens, Marketing Consultant for Benchmark Cosmetic Laboratories: "Beauty & Innovation – Knowing How & When to Break the Rules"

• Jan Lombardo, President of GO SMiLE, Inc.: “Critical in Small Companies - How to Choose and Develop an Entire Team Invested in Company Success”

• Adrienne Kramer, CEO/President of Pro Beauty Partners:"What to Expect From a Broker (Rep) and What They Can Expect From You”

• Charlie Perer, Partner at Intermix Capital Partners, LLC: “Financing for Emerging Beauty Companies”

• Doug Schorr, Head of Consumer Research at Beach, LLC: “Using Consumer Research to Refine a Brand”

• Michelle Sorro, Former On-Air Host at HSN, Inc.: "Behind the Scenes – Strategic Tools for TV Retail & Multimedia Sales Success"

BBR10's Keynote Speaker was Jan Lombardo, the President of GO SMiLE Inc., Lombardo has over 25 years of beauty industry experience as an executive for Estée Lauder and VP of Sales for North America for Calvin Klein. In 2009 she joined GO SMiLE, Inc. as VP of Global Sales and Marketing, and in just 3 short years, was named President.

 Lombardo discussed how creating and developing an entire team can lead to major success in small businesses. In her roundtable discussion titled “Critical in Small Companies - How to Choose and Develop an Entire Team Invested in Company Success,” Lombardo shared GO SMiLE’s core competencies regarding employees: 1) They must be an expert in their field, 2) They must be able to mentor and train others, and 3) They need to be flexible, likeable, and have a sense of humor. “A workplace should be an enjoyable experience since you spend the majority of your time with your colleagues,” she explained. Lombardo also emphasized the importance of understanding the skills and loyalty of current employees, being extremely transparent with employees, and always remaining positive.

Past BBR attendees and Thought Leaders have come from every major beauty company here in the West including Stila, Dermalogica, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Neutrogena, Murad, Urban Decay, CND, P&G, Josie Maran, Intelligent Beauty, Sexy Hair Concepts, boscia, MOR Cosmetics, OPI, Smashbox, Sexy Hair Concepts, Orly International, beautylish.com, and more. For more information, please visit: http://mazurgroupla.com/