Fragrance Creators Announces 2019 Board and Reflects on 2018 at Annual Meeting

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The Fragrance Creators Association (FCA) held its 2018 annual meeting, on Nov. 13, 2018, in Weehawken, NJ, which featured a day of networking and a look at the last year in the fragrance industry and what's to come in 2019.

Billed as “Perfume for the People,” the event featured a gathering of members and industry leaders for a day of promoting fragrance’s ability to enhance lives. The event explored topics such as the current and future political landscape, consumer data on fragrance trends across various product categories, and strategies for translating technical fragrance science to different audiences.

Featured sessions included presentations from Dan Renberg of Arent Fox, LLC, Shannon Coombs of the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association, Darby Pearson and Eric Moorhead of Spectrum Science and Maryellen Molyneaux of the Natural Marketing Institute.

2019 Board and Rising Stars

The FCA's 2019 board of directors and officers were present during the meeting. For 2019, Robert Weinstein, Ph.D., Robertet USA will remain chairman and Karen Manheimer of Kerry will remain the treasurer, while Paul Ireland of Takasago will serve as vice chair and Ken McAlister of Intarome will serve as secretary. Other members of the 2019 FCA board include:

  • Miguel Alemañy, Procter & Gamble
  • Joy Atkinson, Firmenich, Inc.
  • Al Bauer, Citrus and Allied Essences Ltd.
  • Robert Bedoukian, Ph.D., Bedoukian Research, Inc.
  • Shawn Blythe, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
  • Rob Brown, The Lebermuth Company, Inc.
  • Kelli Heinz, Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
  • Paul Hogan, Emerald Kalama Chemical, LLC
  • Erica Lermond, The Lermond Company, LLC
  • Michel Mane, MANE USA
  • Andy O’Shea, Berjé, Incorporated
  • Veronique Scailteur, Chanel
  • Steve Tanner, Arylessence, Inc.
  • John Trombley, Givaudan Fragrances Corporation

In addition to announcing its 2019 board, the FCA presented John Carey, senior manager, global regulatory services at Firmenich, with its inaugural Rising Leader Award for his support of the organization's government and legal affairs and regulatory science executive committees and his support of the fragrance industry at large. In recognition, the association will make a $2,000 donation to the ALS Association Connecticut Chapter on behalf of Carey.

“This year, Fragrance Creators demonstrated our ability to not only adapt but thrive in our changing times,” said Robert Weinstein, Ph.D., president and CEO of Robertet USA, during the chairman’s address. “We have used our unique position in the value chain to serve as the common ground on fragrance-related issues that affect our allied customer trades. This has resulted in better coordination and strategic thinking in the area of fragrance policy.”

Communicating Fragrances

Farah K. Ahmed, president and CEO of the FCA, presented the FCA annual report, which featured the association's recent achievements, including tariff and regulatory wins, and how it is addressing concerns from the fragrance industry.  

“To be successful, trade associations need to think and act like the obsessed entrepreneur—be doers, not just planners and dreamers—always learning and searching for change, responding to it, and applying it as opportunity,” said Ahmed. “And it is our duty to demonstrate Fragrance Creators’ direct ROI to our membership.”

The topic of trades, tariffs, and cosmetic reforms were furthered discussed in a panel discussion from the following FCA staff and committee leaders:

Government & Legislative Affairs Executive Committee:

  • Chair: Cynthia Reichard, Arlyessence
  • Amanda Nguyen, Director, Government Affairs & Legal

Regulatory Science Executive Committee:

  • Chair: Luciana Castro, Firmenich
  • Taiwo Koyejo, Chief Regulatory Scientist

Communications Executive & Branding Executive Committee:

  • Chair: Tracey Long, Procter & Gamble
  • Chair: Jaime Krayger, Firmenich
  • Lia Dangelico, Director, Communications

2019 and Beyond

Looking ahead to 2019, the association hopes to continue its support of educating consumers about fragrances and supporting the fragrance industry at large. Recently, the FCA expanded its offering to include the Importance & Benefits Committee (IBC), which will be tasked in compiling information on the benefits of fragrances to share with the public. In 2019, the organization intends to share this information with the launch of the Fragrance Conservatory, a website aimed at providing the public with engaging and relatable facts and information about fragrances and fragrance ingredients, including 360 specific scent stories.

“We know fragrance has the ability to uplift our spirits and bring long-lost memories to life, but it is also being researched to uncover potential medical benefits for individuals with Alzheimer’s, autism and other medical conditions,” said Ahmed. “We will be sharing all of this information with the public. We’re going to put it all out there because we know it will grow people’s understanding, love, and confidence in fragrance.”

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