Science-based nutraceutical company, Live Verdure (ASX:LV1), is pleased to announce the appointment of former L’Oreal Australia managing director, Mark Tucker, as general manager of its soon-to-launch skincare brand, 8 Seeds.
Tucker will be responsible for the development of the “8 Seeds” brand and will work closely with Live Verdure’s strategic partner, THG Ingenuity, to launch and scale the skincare brand globally. THG Ingenuity is the proprietary technology platform by THG, the globally renowned end-to-end company specialising in taking brands direct to consumers worldwide. Tucker’s new role follows his initial appointment to the Live Verdure Advisory Board in June.
Live Verdure is also the parent company of one of Australia’s fastest growing direct-to-consumer health and wellness brands, 13 Seeds, which uses 100% Tasmanian hemp as its hero ingredient. Founded by corporate finance executive, Gernot Abl, and former investment banker, Ran Vaingold, 13 Seeds listed on the ASX in December 2020.
The company has been on a growth trajectory, with online sales increasing by 32% in the July quarter – benefiting from a rise in consumer spending online and increasing public awareness of the health benefits related to hemp seed.
Tucker joins Live Verdure with more than 30 years’ experience building and leading large corporations and startups across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia Pacific region – specialising in FMCG, pharmacy and B2B distribution, sales and marketing, procurement, distribution, and operations. He has also achieved remarkable success in creating and launching brands across many major beauty categories.
Notably, Tucker was the former managing director at L’Oréal Australia for eight years, and prior to that, general manager consumer for six years. During his tenure, revenue grew from A$12m to more than A$400m, making L’Oréal the leading beauty business in the Australian market.
“Advising Ran and the Board of Live Verdure for the past few months has served as the perfect starting block for launch into this permanent role,” Tucker said.
“Based on what we have achieved already with the 13 Seeds range, I can confidently say that joining Live Verdure as GM of Skincare will be an exciting and rewarding opportunity for myself and the company. Now is the perfect time to build 8 Seeds into a brand with both immediate and long-term appeal, and I look forward to bringing our hard work to fruition.”
Managing director and co-founder at Live Verdure, Ran Vaingold, added: “Since coming on board earlier in the year, Mark has already proven his value to the business, so we are thrilled to have him join us in a permanent capacity.
As one of Australia’s leading beauty and skincare executives, with decades of global experience in growing online and offline brands, Mark’s contributions to LV1 will be immense. We are very much looking forward to working with him in growing 8 Seeds into a leading Australian skincare and beauty brand.”
