In this episode, May Petracco, CFO at Foundation Consumer Healthcare, joins Sergio Correia and Paul Widdop from Ceuta Group to discuss the remarkable journey of Foundation Consumer Healthcare’s Breathe Right brand since its acquisition from GSK and their partnership with Ceuta Group.

Global Brand Management in Consumer Healthcare is not a challenge to be taken lightly. May and Paul explore the challenges they faced, strategies employed, and the pivotal role Ceuta's turn-key solution played in accelerating Breathe Right's global growth.

Speaker Bios

Sergio Correia: As an accomplished Senior International Business Manager, Sergio Correia brings 18 years of proven success in FMCG and Health & Personal Care industries. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, he excels in market expansion, key account management, contract negotiation, and building relationships in diverse, cross-cultural environments.

Sergio’s background and expertise lies in brand management, new business development, and market forecasting, consistently delivering results in international markets with a focus on branded FMCG and healthcare brands.

May Petracco: May Petracco, CFO at Foundation Consumer Healthcare, possesses over 20 years of experience in consumer health-related finance. Her extensive skill set includes finance, accounting, profit and loss analysis, and operations management – both for established corporations and within start-up environments. During her time with Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, May led financial support for a broad spectrum of over-the-counter (OTC) and Health & Beauty Aid (HBA) businesses. She was also an integral member of the team at Adams Respiratory and provided the financial planning and analysis for Mucinex, and served as CFO at the start-up skin care company, Scerene Healthcare. She holds a B.A. in Finance from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.

Paul Widdop: International Business Controller at Ceuta Group, Paul Widdop is a seasoned architect of international business success.His extensive international experience spans over two decades, providing him with a nuanced understanding of the intricacies and opportunities within the global marketplace. For over 10 years at Ceuta Group, Paul has been collaborating with diverse brands to propel their global brand development ambitions and now holds full developmental responsibility for the prestigious Breathe Right brand across Rest of World markets.

UK Managing Director at Ceuta Group, Annette D’Abreo, is joined by Ceuta Group’s Performance Marketing Director, Chris Webster, and Marketing Director, Andrew Smith, to discuss the power of Google and Amazon when used in synergy to fuel digital growth for Health & Wellness brands.

It's a common misconception that Google and Amazon are competitors in the digital space. But Ceuta Group’s ecommerce and digital marketing teams have developed innovative ways to combine both approaches to unlock incredible growth for brands in the Health & Wellness landscape. Tune in to unveil their strategic tips and advice.

UK Managing Director at Ceuta Group, Annette D’Abreo, is joined by Ceuta Group’s UK Client Director, Louise Phillips, and Director of UK Pharmacy Retail and Wholesale, Ben Knight, to discuss how to achieve brand growth in the UK Health & Wellness market.

The UK is a famously challenging market for Health & Wellness brands to successfully launch into, let alone build sustainable success. But Ceuta Group’s Ben Knight and Louise Philips have been navigating the market for years, unlocking growth for new and established brands alike. Tune in to unveil their strategic tips and advice.

Speaker Bios

Annette D’Abreo - UK Managing Director - Ceuta Group

Annette D’Abreo is the Managing Director of Ceuta Group’s Omnichannel Market Execution division. A highly respected figure in the Health & Wellness industry, Annette is the longest-serving board member at the PAGB.

Her team of sales, marketing and distribution experts plays a critical role at Ceuta Group, building Health & Wellness brands in the UK, Ireland, and across 100+ markets around the globe. They provide full go-to-market or bespoke-to-channels solutions, enabling clients to achieve their brands’ objectives.

Louise Philips - UK Client Director

With 20 years of experience in both international and UK roles, Louise heads the UK Client Management function at Ceuta Group. Specialising in bringing new consumer healthcare brands to market and driving growth for established ones, her team is focussed on honing clients’ brand strategies and executing them across a number of different categories.

Ben Knight Director of UK Pharmacy Retail and Wholesale

With over 22 years of industry experience, Ben Knight leads Ceuta Group’s UK Pharmacy Retail and Wholesale division. With a track record of successfully launching brands across a wide range of categories and developing successful strategies to drive growth for established brands with varying budget levels, Ben has direct “hands on” experience working with the UK’s largest Health and Beauty retailer, Boots. In 2023, he proudly received Boots Healthcare's "New Product of the Year" award and earned nominations in the wellness category for two brands launched the same year. Ben has also been involved in several POM to P switches, and P to GSL transitions – and their launch into the market.

UK Managing Director at Ceuta Group, Annette D’Abreo, is joined by Ceuta Group’s Head of Healthcare Brand Strategy, David Gray, and Marketing Director at Ceuta Healthcare, Jon Connolly, to discuss how brands can adapt their strategies to stand out in the increasingly competitive Health & Wellness market.

As the UK, and most countries around the world, place more focus on Health & Wellness and specifically, self-care, there is a huge opportunity for brands to capitalise on consumers’ growing awareness and desire to optimise their health. The question is how…

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UK Managing Director at Ceuta Group, Annette D’Abreo, is joined by Capability Consultants, Dahlia Stroud and Mark Hermsen to discuss how Health & Wellness suppliers and retailers can work together to capitalise on opportunities, delight shoppers, and drive growth in ever-changing economic times.

As prices continue to rocket in the UK and consumers demand more affordable self-care solutions, building synergy can be a game changer for retailers, suppliers and shoppers alike. In a complex, competitive industry like Health & Wellness, alignment & collaboration is the key to success in 2024. The question is how…

Key take-aways

• Since COVID, followed by the soaring cost of living and resources, consumers and businesses are all in a heightened state of crisis.
• There is a huge and increasing focus on self-care and the rise of the wellness mindset among consumers in the UK and around the world.
• COVID led to a disconnect between businesses, but trust, connection, and collaboration is really the key to success.
• Retailers and suppliers need to think of their relationship as a partnership and adopt a one-business mindset to drive value for both parties.
• Retailers and suppliers can find opportunity in adversity by proactively planning for the future together and strategising on what they want to deliver together.
• Through clear insight, collaboration, and ideation sessions, retailers and suppliers can understand and anticipate consumer needs, optimise the category range, create value and choice for consumers, and drive growth.

Going into 2024:

• The wellness mindset will continue to grow, as well as the demand for sustainable solutions.
• Retailers and suppliers need to provide clear education pieces for consumers on how the products will help them optimise their health and wellbeing.
• Re-assess packaging and distribution/supply chain to maximise sustainability, whilst sufficiently protecting the product.
• Don’t be afraid of the price of sustainability - it is a necessary and strategic move, as it increasingly becomes a priority for shoppers and the industry.

An original podcast from Ceuta Group, a global provider of end-to-end commercial outsourcing services for Health & Wellness brands.

In this podcast, UK Managing Director, Annette D’Abreo chats with a diverse group of experts from the industry about what it takes to empower both new and established brand owners to achieve tangible brand success in today’s Health & Wellness market.