Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors (ICMAD), a non-profit trade association supporting creative, innovative companies, with a focus on independently owned businesses of all sizes, has appointed Dr. Ken Marenus its new president. Dr. Marenus has an extensive career in the beauty industry and has had a role in representing the industry in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
“Ken brings an unbeatable combination of extensive knowledge and a passion to encourage grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship across the beauty industry. Dr. Marenus’ expertise in issues that are relevant to regulators and legislators in the U.S. and internationally will be immensely valuable in representing and educating our members. His perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship in the beauty industry resonate strongly with our members and tie closely to ICMAD’s mission,” said Sanjiv Mehra, chairman of ICMAD.
“ICMAD has been an active voice in the beauty industry and we have a strategy to continue to invest in resources for our members. With Ken’s leadership we look forward to being even more relevant and effective and to fulfilling our mission to support innovative beauty companies,” said Chris Hobson, vice chairman of ICMAD.
Among his duties, Dr. Marenus will oversee the administration, programs and strategic plan of ICMAD. Other key responsibilities include legislative advocacy, marketing and member and community outreach.
He will report directly to the Board of Directors.
“The past decade has seen the growth of both tremendous opportunity and unique challenges for the cosmetics industry. There has been a significant impact from the emergence of independent beauty companies as leaders in product innovation and branding over the past decade and as a result, ICMAD members and others like them, are now playing leading roles in the global beauty marketplace. As new business models are created and barriers to competition change, we expect the industry to continue to experience strong levels of growth, innovation and globalization. Through this period, ICMAD will be a strong voice to foster creativity and innovation and to support the entrepreneurial spirit that is driving this change. Having spent my career in beauty and having had many opportunities to get involved in broad industry issues, I am excited by this opportunity to lead ICMAD and to represent independent cosmetics companies,” said Dr. Marenus.
Dr. Marenus is recognized leader in the field of cosmetic science and skin biology. He has authored numerous publications in medical and technical journals and holds ten patents. His thorough understanding of brands and the factories, labs and other entities that are an integral part of the beauty value chain, were honed from years of senior leadership experience at Estee Lauder and Mary Kay.
Additionally, Dr. Marenus served as president of the Dermal Clinical Evaluation Society, a group dedicated to the advancement of safety and efficacy testing in the personal care and cosmetic industry, and as national president of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. He has also served on many industry committees pertaining to science, technology and regulation all related to the beauty industry.
Dr. Marenus earned a Ph.D. in cell biology from UCLA and was a post-doctoral fellow in Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University.
For more information, visit icmad.org