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Sheila Shekar Pollak has joined hair care and color brand Madison Reed as chief marketing officer (CMO).
Pollak was most recently chief brand experience officer at outdoor apparel and gear provider Orvis.
Before she joined Orvis in 2022, she also held CMO roles at skincare brand Biossance and activewear business Athleta, spending nine-and-a-half years at the latter.
At Madison Reed, Pollak will oversee all creative and marketing functions and lead the push to drive new customers to its direct-to-consumer (DTC), Hair Color Bar, and wholesale businesses.
Brad Lande-Shannon, who has been Madison Reed’s chief marketing and people officer since October 2021, will continue to serve as chief people officer (CPO). The company, which has over its 1,000-plus employees, told ADWEEK Lande-Shannon will now focus on overseeing its people and culture department.
Former venture capital exec Amy Errett founded Madison Reed in 2013 with the mission of bringing salon-quality hair color, made without harsh ingredients to people on a (DTC) basis.
Since then, the private company has gone on to raise $250 million in funding to date. It’s also opened 90 physical hair color bar locations across the U.S. and inked wholesale partnerships with retailers including Amazon, Target, Ulta Beauty, and Walmart.
A growing focus on women’s sports
Madison Reed went all-in on women’s sports in August 2024, launching its ColorWonder Demi-Permanent Hair Color via a long-term partnership with the University of Connecticut Athletics focused on its women’s basketball team.
This resulted in the launch of “Team ColorWonder,” a campaign fronted by athletes including UConn basketball’s Ice Brady, Paige Bueckers, Morgan Cheli, and Azzi Fudd.
Empowering women in sports a legacy Pollak wants to build on in her new gig.
“From launching “The Power of She” brand platform at Athleta, to “Athleta Girl” to inspire the next generation of girls to be confident, my most cherished career highlights have been rooted in building a passionate community that uplifts women and girls,” she said in a statement.