ViSalus Sciences Hires Audrey Sommerfeld as Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development

ViSalus Sciences, a leading wellness company and maker of the patented Vi-PAK, an advanced anti-aging and energy system, has announced the hiring of Audrey Sommerfeld as Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 3, 2007 -- ViSalus Sciences, a leading wellness company and maker of the patented Vi-PAK, an advanced anti-aging and energy system, has announced the hiring of Audrey Sommerfeld as Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development.

Sommerfeld will work from the company's Los Angeles marketing office, heading up the company's marketing efforts and shaping the brand of the expanding ViSalus health and wellness product line. She has enjoyed a successful career as a marketing executive with global leadership roles in some of the world's most established wellness companies.

Sommerfeld recently served as the Vice President of Global Product Marketing for Herbalife International, a $2 billion corporation that spans 59 countries. There, she was responsible for product development and launch strategy, working with global licensing, Research & Development, and regulatory teams, creating sales and marketing tools, and conducting product trainings before thousands of distributors.

In 5 years with Herbalife, Sommerfeld launched a 12 SKU skincare line across 24 countries on the same day, repositioned and re-launched the company's core weight loss brand, and collaborated with nutrition experts on new product development. She was also instrumental in the launch of the company's Liftoff energy drink, now their top selling product.

Sommerfeld's focus with ViSalus will be on the strategic direction of the ViSalus brand. She also looks forward to putting her prior experience as Director of Marketing for Neutrogena to use in expanding the ViSalus product line. Her long-term objective is to elevate the ViSalus brand to be among the most recognizable and respected in the wellness industry worldwide.

Audrey is excited to join ViSalus, in her words, "because I can see it is a company on the leading edge of the health and wellness industry. I have always been passionate about wellness and a true believer that better health begins with giving your body everything it needs to thrive. Having seen far too many people relying on reactive medicine in my time with drug companies, it is clear to me that nutrition can do wonders to improve our chances against so many ailments."

For Sommerfeld, being a part of ViSalus is also about a personal commitment. "I feel that this is the job of my dreams, and I have worked very hard to get it. Having achieved this dream is even more special if I can help others achieve their dreams as well. That is why I love the direct sales/network marketing industry and why this company was so attractive to me."

The addition of Sommerfeld to the ViSalus executive roster comes shortly after another major hiring out of the company's Troy, Michigan headquarters. John Tolmie recently came on board as Vice President of Finance and Administration, bringing a visionary approach to maximizing growth and profitability through a strong commercial focus.

As the Vice President of North American Shared Service for Allied Domecq, Tolmie oversaw accounting functions for Allied's $1 billion business in North America. Allied Domecq was a $4 billion international company in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, boasting in addition to many household spirit brands such national franchises as Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and Togo's.

Prior to this most recent role, Tolmie was the CFO for Allied's wine business in North America. He led a number of acquisitions during his 4 years there which resulted in the wine division doubling its business to over $270 million.

"We hold ourselves to a very high standard. The addition of these two superstars is one significant step toward building a billion dollar company," said Blair.

The ViSalus community is proud to welcome Audrey Sommerfeld to the team.

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