IT Cosmetics® Co-Founder & CEO Jamie Kern Lima Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Woman™ of 2013

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Nov. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP today announces IT Cosmetics® (Innovative Technology Cosmetics) Co-Founder & CEO Jamie Kern Lima as a 2013 Entrepreneurial Winning Woman™. Kern Lima is one of 12 winners of the 2013 Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ competition, which is part of the Entrepreneur of The Year Awards, is a national leadership program designed to help accelerate growth of high-potential businesses founded by female entrepreneurs. Selected by a distinguished panel of independent judges from a competitive pool of thousands of candidates nationwide, this accolade is a prestigious honor across all industries. 

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Launched in 2008, IT Cosmetics® is a leader in the prestige color cosmetics market. Prior to launching IT Cosmetics®, Kern Lima spent several years as an award winning TV news anchor, where having to look awake and perky for the 5 a.m. news inspired many of her problem-solving products. She works hand-in-hand with plastic surgeons, and travels the world to create innovative products that empower women with beauty solutions to help them look and feel better. IT Cosmetics® has received multiple industry awards, including more than 200 press placements in prestige beauty and consumer magazines and TV segments. IT Cosmetics a top selling brand on QVC, in ULTA Beauty stores, The Shopping Channel Canada and others, and recently partnered with Guthy-Renker to develop an infomercial set to launch in 2014. IT Cosmetics has done over $70 million in retail sales in 2013 and is on track for continued growth in 2014.  

"I feel so blessed and honored that Ernst & Young is recognizing me and all of the incredible growth and potential of IT Cosmetics, and I am just humbled at the caliber of fellow women honored this year," states Kern Lima. "I dedicate my life to creating innovative and effective solution-oriented makeup and skin care products that are laser focused on problem-solution, and truly giving women the power to look and feel their most beautiful. I am so grateful this authentic passion and mission is resonating with our customers, and that EY sees how powerful what we're doing at IT Cosmetics is, and more importantly, how incredible the potential of growth is!"  

"Over the past six years, the Entrepreneurial Winning Women program has grown into a highly competitive platform to help women entrepreneurs accomplish the key goals they have for their companies," said Kerrie MacPherson, Principal, Financial Services Office, and North American Entrepreneurial Winning Women Executive Sponsor at EY. "Jamie Kern Lima is an exceptional business leader with great potential, and we are pleased to honor her as one of this year's winners."

Launched six years ago, the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program aims to help women entrepreneurs whose companies show great potential to scale big and become market leaders. According to an independent assessment by Babson College, the program is working. Participant companies have an average growth of nearly 50% per year and a corresponding 26% average growth in the number of jobs they provide.

Since its inception, the program looks to help women entrepreneurs break through the barriers that keep thriving second-stage businesses from reaching their full potential. Once selected, the entrepreneurs participate in an ongoing, customized program designed by EY to catalyze their companies' growth by building and fostering critical relationships, enhancing leadership skills, expanding business acumen and providing increased visibility. They are coached on the five crucial leaps that are critical to growing their business:

• Thinking big and being bold;
• Building a public profile;
• Working on the business, rather than in it;
• Finding and establishing the right networks;
• Evaluating financing for expansion.

The Entrepreneurial Winning Women program is conducted in collaboration with several organizations that encourage the development of women-owned businesses, including the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), The Committee of 200 (C200), the Kauffman Foundation and Babson College's Center for Women's Leadership. For more information on the program, visit www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

About IT Cosmetics®
Developed with leading plastic surgeons, IT Cosmetics® creates clinically-proven, innovative problem-solving makeup and skin care products that harness cutting edge, anti-aging technologies and high performance skin-loving ingredients to provide you with serious beauty solutions that help you look and feel your most beautiful! Co-Founder Jamie Kern, who suffers from Rosacea, Sparse Brows, Hyperpigmentation and problematic-skin works hand-in-hand with plastic surgeons to create innovative, high performance products laser focused on solving women's beauty problems. Prior to launching IT Cosmetics Jamie Kern was an award winning TV News anchor. She also graduated Valedictorian from Washington State University and received her MBA from Columbia Business School. IT Cosmetics is sold on QVC, The Shopping Channel Canada, and ULTA Beauty among others. For more information please visit www.itcosmetics.com  IT'S truly your beauty, but better™!

SOURCE IT Cosmetics