Zicam® Maker, Matrixx Initiatives, Names Personal Care Products Pioneer M'lou Arnett as CEO
Former co-founder and COO of Scerene Healthcare, and an architect of Mucinex® marketing campaign
SKILLMAN, N.J., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., the maker of the Zicam® cold, sinus and allergy line of products, is proud to announce the appointment of pioneering personal healthcare products executive M'lou Arnett, 47, as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Arnett has more than 20 years of management and healthcare marketing experience and was a principal architect of the highly successful marketing campaign for the Mucinex® cold remedy products.
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Immediately prior to joining Matrixx, Ms. Arnett was Chief Operating Officer of Scerene Healthcare Inc. of Peapack, NJ, a company she co-founded in 2009 to develop the Puristics™ brand of personal care products.
"Matrixx is an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Ms. Arnett said. "Matrixx's Zicam cold remedy line of products has strong brand equity and a great history, and I feel that I have been given a fantastic opportunity to write the next chapter. Matrixx has great people, a tremendous heritage and all the pieces in place to create some magic."
Previously, Ms. Arnett was Senior Vice President, Marketing and Advertising for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, the marketer of Mucinex and Delsym®. She is renowned in the OTC industry for overseeing the development of the award-winning "Mr. Mucus" advertising campaign, which not only increased sales of Mucinex but also increased awareness of the entire category of mucus relieving products. From 2004, when she joined Adams, to 2008 Ms. Arnett played a key role in growing the Adams business from $60 million to nearly $500 million. Adams was sold to Reckitt Benckiser in 2008.
Prior to joining Adams, Ms. Arnett managed a broad spectrum of healthcare businesses at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and its predecessor Warner Lambert Consumer Healthcare, including Listerine®, Lubriderm® and Benadryl®. She was named one of the top 50 marketers of the year by Advertising Age in 2006 and one of the top 20 marketers of the year by OTC Perspectives in 2008.
Ms. Arnett says she believes Zicam is well-positioned to take advantage of consumers' increasing interest in self-care. "We have a solution for consumers that can change the way they take care of themselves, and Matrixx is well-positioned to be a major player in this space."
"I have a long history of growing brands through developing strong strategies for consumer brands based on insights into the needs and daily lives of consumers," she continued. "We have the opportunity to make Zicam a household name, something everyone has in their medicine cabinet."
Ms. Arnett began her career in commercial banking with Chase Manhattan Bank. She received an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a BA from Yale University. She is proud to be a working mother of four teenagers, and is passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
About Zicam Cold Remedy Products
Most cold medicines are designed to mask cold symptoms; however, Zicam Cold Remedy is different. Zicam Cold Remedy products, which contain propriety formulations of active ingredients zinc gluconate and zinc acetate, reduce the duration of a cold when taken at the first sign of a cold (within the first 24 hours) and used as directed. New on retail shelves this cold season, Zicam Cold Remedy Ultra RapidMelts®, available in cherry and orange cream flavors, are specially formulated to deliver the product benefits of reducing the duration of a cold.
About Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. is engaged in the development and marketing of over-the-counter health care products that utilize innovative drug delivery systems. The company was acquired by HIG Capital in February 2011. Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., manufactures and markets a full line of Zicam brand Homeopathic and Allopathic OTC products, including one new product Zicam Cold Remedy Ultra RapidMelts® in cherry and orange cream flavors, as well as our existing products including Zicam Cold Remedy Plus Liqui-Loz™, Zicam Cold Remedy Zavors™, Zicam Cold Remedy Chewables, Zicam Cold Remedy Oral Mist™, Zicam Cold Remedy RapidMelts®, Zicam Allergy Relief™, Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief™, and Zicam Sinus Relief™. For more information regarding Matrixx products, please visit www.zicam.com.
SOURCE Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.
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