Visionary entrepreneur and CEO; intrepid problem solver, creator of transformative value
Janelle Zwiren is a seasoned entrepreneur and agile brand strategist with an abiding passion: growing business, driving revenue, and igniting innovation. For almost two decades, as founder and CEO of Better Growth Management Consulting, she has created and executed growth strategies for a wide range of clients, from leading brands to emerging start-ups. Clients served have spanned an array of industries, including health care and wellness, consumer goods, global communications, private equity investment, agriculture, and manufacturing.
Janelle’s talent as an entrepreneur appeared early on. When she was 12, she started her first business: Picking apples and ears of corn from nearby farms, selling them throughout the neighborhood, and recruiting friends to serve as staff. While testing her business skills, she followed a parallel interest in fashion, receiving a BA in retail and merchandizing from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Her professional options broadened with an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Janelle began her career with global biopharma leader GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). She was instrumental in several GSK innovations, including a transdermal therapy product for smoking cessation, a fragrance line for teen consumers, and the first “scratch and sniff” advertising for medical and consumer publications. Impressed with Janelle’s instinct for innovation, GSK provided $3 million in funding for her to start her first consulting firm, Zwiren & Partners Agency in Chicago. Her firm specialized in new product development and digital marketing, with clients ranging from health care organizations to a leading athletic apparel company and a global pioneer in electronic learning. Janelle drove the agency to more than $22 million in revenue and expanded her resources to a team of 75 before successfully selling the business.
She parlayed her expertise into a managing partner position with the worldwide marketing communications network DDB, part of Omnicom. Janelle created the first Digital Group in the advertising holding company world. Digital grew at DDB/Omnicom to $2.6 billion, with agency offices today in over 50 countries and a clientele of such leading global brands as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Nike.
With an enduring interest in healthcare transformation, Janelle has held executive positions with Johnson & Johnson (J&J). She was in charge of licensing and acquisitions of brands and businesses that opened new markets for J&J – and new product innovations for consumers. Janelle has also served as an advisor to the American Heart Association (AHA) for nearly two decades, hired initially to create the Go Red for Women Campaign and advance awareness of heart disease among women. She continues to advise AHA, building health-enhancing programs in nutrition, CPR, emotional well-being, and even pet ownership, which has been shown to lengthen the lives of individual dog owners for years.
Today, Janelle is laser-focused on her next entrepreneurial venture. It’s an innovation designed for the 45+ age group – the “Ageless Generation” – to jumpstart healthy lifestyles and bring a whole new sport to the fitness world. With her marked success in the health and wellness sector, innate savvy in creating winning $1 billion brands, and proven ability to grow profit with purpose, Janelle’s newest innovation is destined to succeed rapidly – and readily change lives for individuals with her value proposition: Walk Stronger. Live Longer. Outsmart Aging.
