Hand in Hand Appoints Former Unilever Executive and Beauty & Personal Care Expert Piyush Jain as CEO

Jain brings 20+ years of experience with beauty and personal care brands and expertise in natural, sustainable and clean beauty

Hand in Hand Co-Founder Bill Glaab to serve as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

News provided by

Hand In Hand

Jun 30, 2021, 12:25 ET

PHILADELPHIA, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hand in Hand ("the Company"), a fast-growing purpose-driven personal care brand, announced today it has appointed Piyush Jain as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 28, 2021. Simultaneously, after more than a decade building the company with his wife Courtney Apple, Co-Founder and current CEO, Bill Glaab will assume the role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors to focus on accelerating the Company's mission to harness business as a force for good.

Jain joins Hand in Hand following an impressive 23-year career at Unilever, where he most recently served as Global Brand Vice President in Hair Care and managed a portfolio that generates more than $2 billion in retail sales annually. Jain founded, launched and grew Unilever's $100 million eco-friendly brand, Love Beauty & Planet that offers better-for-you hair and skincare products made with natural ingredients. During his career, he also built a track record of success in the mass market channels of hair care, skin cleansing, bath and body, personal care and household—having led top brands including Dove, Lux, Suave, TRESemmé and AXE. He also steered Unilever's significant acquisition of natural beauty products company, Sundial Brands in 2017.

The leadership change arrives as Hand in Hand reaches exciting milestones in its growth and impact. In Q1, fueled by tremendous 10x revenue growth in 2020, the Company donated its 13 millionth bar of soap as part of its mission-driven give back program. In April, it received a significant growth investment from leading impact investor Bain Capital Double Impact.

"Hand in Hand's entrepreneurial story and its mission to drive a full spectrum of impact, from sustainability to social good and environmental advocacy is incredibly inspiring," said Jain. "Bill and the Hand in Hand team have been able to directly align growth with impact – a core mission that is important to me both personally and professionally. I'm looking forward to working with Bill, the team and Bain Capital Double Impact to build on this incredible foundation and scale the company's growth and impact."

Glaab has played a pivotal role in creating and expanding Hand in Hand's Give Back program, which donates one bar of soap and clean water to a child in need for each product sold. Under his leadership, Hand in Hand has also developed an industry-leading commitment to sustainability by making palm oil-free products and educating consumers on the devastating environmental impacts and human rights abuses in the palm oil industry. Further, the Company was one of the first to use infinitely recyclable aluminum packaging for its liquid hand soap products and is expanding this highly sustainable approach into other categories this year.

"It's been an honor to work with the team to grow a mission-driven company over the past 10 years, and I look forward to leading from a new perspective as Executive Chairman," said Glaab. "Given his extensive experience at the intersection of the personal care industry and both philanthropy and sustainability efforts, I'm confident in Piyush's ability to push our efforts forward to make the world a cleaner, better place, and we will work in close coordination to assure a seamless transition."

"We are extremely proud of Hand in Hand's accomplishments under Bill's leadership, and we're thrilled to welcome Piyush's impressive track record building mission-driven natural product brands at this crucial point in the Company's growth journey," said Cecilia Chao, a Managing Director at Bain Capital Double Impact. "We will be forever grateful for Bill's vision and leadership in creating and building an authentic mission-driven brand and inspiring the Hand in Hand team. We look forward to working together with Bill and Piyush to support Hand in Hand through its next phase of growth."

Hand in Hand products are sold nationally at retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Walmart, Target, Fresh Thyme, CVS and the Company's own website.

About Hand in Hand
Hand in Hand is a purpose-driven personal care brand dedicated to harnessing the collective power of business and consumers as a force for good in the world by creating beautiful, accessible, better-for-you products that sustain both people and planet through a relentless commitment to environmental protection and empowering communities around the globe. Hand in Hand has donated over 13 million bars of soap and provided clean water to children in need across the globe through their give back program. For more information visit handinhandsoap.com

About Bain Capital Double Impact
Bain Capital Double Impact is the impact investing strategy of Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm. Bain Capital Double Impact leverages deep industry experience and an active, value-added approach to build great companies that deliver both competitive financial returns and meaningful, measurable social and environmental good. Bain Capital Double Impact partners with companies across three themes – health & wellness, education & workforce development, and sustainability to create long-term value and meaningful social impact at scale. For more information, visit www.baincapitaldoubleimpact.com.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Hand In Hand