Brand Velocity Group Hires Lauren Serota as Chief People & Culture Officer
July 02 2024 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Brand Velocity Group (“BVG”), an innovative and diversified
investment platform focused on acquiring and transforming
businesses, today announced that Lauren Serota has joined the firm
as its Chief People & Culture Officer.
Ms. Serota joins BVG from Patagonia where, since 2019, she had
served as the Head of Talent Development, Performance, Learning
& Development, and People Analytics. Ms. Serota also serves as
a HR Advisor to Semper Virens, a venture capital firm, where she
advises founders on technology, strategy, and culture. Ms. Serota
also previously held talent and operations roles at Gap, Inc.,
Accenture, and the World Bank Group. She holds a BA from Sarah
Lawrence College, a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia
University, and a Masters of Science in Management Systems from
NYU.
“Lauren’s proven ability to improve operations by uplifting
employees fits our strategy—to create value through close
collaboration and innovation, as well as infusing a bit of ‘heart’
into all that we do,” said Steve Lebowitz, Founding and Managing
Partner at BVG. “The addition of Lauren represents the next
evolution of our firm and our commitment to scaling company
culture, and will allow us to drive value creation in a way few
other private equity firms have tried. We’re thrilled to have
Lauren join the team, and are humbled that she has chosen BVG to
continue her positive impact on the world.”
BVG combines its team's decades of finance, marketing, and
business development experience with an employee centric ethos,
developing a unique and powerful approach to accelerating growth at
its portfolio companies. Its commitment to company culture is
highlighted by its pioneering “Share the Gains” equity
participation program, through which every employee at BVG
portfolio companies participates in the ownership group.
“Having been part of multiple championship teams during my
athletic career, I know firsthand how a strong team culture shapes
long-term success,” said Eli Manning, Partner at BVG. “By working
to transform culture, and identify and reward talent, Lauren will
position our portfolio companies to grow and thrive for years to
come.”
In this newly created role, Ms. Serota will work directly with
BVG and its portfolio companies to transform and enhance company
culture, leading initiatives focused around talent and performance
management, reward and recognition programs, learning and
leadership development, and employee-engagement functions.
“In five short years, BVG has emerged as a leader in the private
equity industry based on it recognizing the value that portfolio
company employees create and rewarding them accordingly,” said
Serota. “I’m excited to be joining BVG at this inflection point in
its growth and continuing the team’s track record of
transformational innovation.”
About Brand Velocity Group:
Brand Velocity Group is a diversified investment platform
focused on disrupting and improving the private equity industry’s
traditional approach to growing consumer-facing businesses, with an
emphasis on the idea that marketing works and people matter. By
combining the team’s decades of finance and operating expertise
with leading in-house marketing and employee development resources,
BVG has developed a unique and demonstrated approach to
accelerating growth of the businesses they partner with. As one
example, the BVG team believes that private equity should and can
be a positive force in driving company culture, and in support,
they "Share the Gains" with portfolio company employees in
recognition of the value they create by making each employee an
equity holder. BVG has also launched two specialty
sub-verticals—BVG Sports ("BVGS") and BVG Fashion &
Apparel—that leverage the firm’s strengths in these categories. To
learn more about BVG, its portfolio companies, and its innovative
growth strategies, please visit www.BrandVelocityGroup.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240702692758/en/
Chris Gillick / Matt Lettiero BVG@ICRinc.com