However, Thorne is not only competing with traditional producers like Abbott for sales—it’s coming up against a plethora of fresh DTC startups such as Vitable, which just raised $16 million in funding.

In order to compete, Thorne has been rethinking its marketing. In June, it worked with creative agency BUCK to launch “Find Your Way,” an integrated campaign fronted by model Karlie Kloss that showcased its personalized offerings for people at every age and life stage.

Beech confirmed that she will build on this work, having spotted a “huge opportunity” for Thorne to build awareness and equity in an “ultra-competitive marketplace” by attracting a larger audience. She likened the challenge ahead to her experience growing Kate Spade following the exit of its founders.  

“When I joined [Kate Spade], it was coming out of a period of being a quieter brand, but it was poised for growth,” she explained.

“There, I was able to learn how when you start with a very small team, doing really strong work, you grow them to become a dominant brand in the space—whatever that space may be. So, I’m hoping I can take learnings from both Kate Spade and Scholastic and apply them here,” she added.

She also wants to increase the number of existing partnerships with the likes of Mayo Clinic and UFC, as well as hone in on the company’s science-backed products in a wellness space that often tows the line between veracity and hype.

Thorne has had CMO positions before, but never a CGO role—a title Beech describes as “chief marketing officer 2.0.”

Watts said, “Mary’s experience leveraging marketing and data into brands will come into play quite heavily as we look to connect with more customers across our channels and become the fastest-growing supplement brand.”