Fiona Cummings - Buying, Merchandising and Wholesale Leader

Vanessa is recognized as one of the most established and respected global voices in fashion and luxury PR. In the nearly two decades since founding BPCM, Vanessa has been instrumental in building legacy brands and launching brands that have become household names. ​An expert in navigating the ever-changing landscape, Vanessa often serves as industry insider and ally helping to usher in the latest industry disruption through her ability to anticipate market shifts and upcoming innovations.​ In this episode, Vanessa von Bismarck speaks with her business partner, Carrie Ellen Phillips about her unexpected journey into the PR industry. Vanessa shares her transition from being a commodities trader in London to starting a PR agency in New York. She offers insightful advice on building confidence and taking risks, while emphasizing the importance of connectivity and the joy of watching others grow.

Carrie Ellen Phillips is a partner in the global strategic communications and consulting firm BPCM, which she co-founded with Vanessa von Bismarck in 1999. Carrie spearheads BPCM’s flourishing Sustainability and Impact practice and has transformed it into the fastest-growing part of the agency. She is an established industry strategist in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle arenas, helping brands set and achieve sustainability and impact-driven goals while maintaining growth and profitability. She is a frequent speaker and advisor to the Bard MBA in Sustainability, a lecturer at Columbia University, and an advisor to private equity funds Closed Loop Partners and ReGen. She was also a founding partner of the U.S. Coalition on Sustainability at the United Nations and a policy advisor to the New Standard Institute. In this episode, Carrie speaks with her business partner, Vanessa von Bismarck. Carrie discusses their business, a strategic communications agency specializing in fashion, lifestyle, beauty, automotive, and sustainability. Carrie also highlights the importance of pursuing work that excites you and shares insights into their sustainability practice developed over recent years.

Mawuse Ziegbe is a fashion executive with 15+ years of experience in management, marketing, strategy, and business development. She is the Regional Director, Americas for Camper, a Spanish contemporary footwear brand with presence in over 100 countries. In her current role, she oversees strategy and operations for North and South America across all sales channels, including digital, wholesale, retail, and distributor businesses. She has lived around the world and led teams in Europe, Oceania, and North America. Previously, she was an entertainment professional for media companies such as BET, MTV, and The Boston Globe. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from IESE Business School. In this episode, Mawuse speaks with Ro Wilson about her start in entertainment journalist, transitioning to digital content and marketing in Europe, and eventually moving into general management roles in Australia and the Americas. She discusses how pursuing an MBA in Barcelona helped her pivot into the business side of fashion, emphasizing the importance of a global perspective and building strong professional relationships.

Rochelle Wilson has 7+ years of experience at the world's leading social/digital media platforms (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube) which has afforded her a deep-level of understanding to manage brand and performance marketing campaigns across social and content-focused platforms. As an effective relationship builder, listener, and problem solver she aims to deepen relationships with my key stakeholders to grow their business needs. In this interview, Ro Wilson chats with Mawuse Ziegbe about her educational path at the University of Illinois, how she landed her internship at Google and her professional experiences at major companies like Meta and TikTok. She also shares insights on digital marketing, her passion for photography, and her plans to pivot towards brand marketing in the future.

Laura Stillo is an award-winning creative lead who tells brand stories through a dynamic and authentic lens. She is a Senior Producer, Branded Video at Dotdash Meredith where she leads communication between talent, high-level advertising clients and creative production teams on behalf of publications such as Entertainment Weekly, People, InStyle and more. She has developed and produced video content across the entertainment and digital media landscape for companies such as HBO Max, BuzzFeed, Hello Sunshine, The New York Times and Condé Nast Entertainment. She’s an original producer for the acclaimed Vogue series 73 Questions. She is based in New York, NY. On this episode, Laura talks with Michael Kilian, Laura shares her journey from studying advertising to navigating the 2010 recession. She also discusses her unique path through music journalism and her time at Condé Nast, where she worked on projects like Vogue’s “73 Questions."

Michael Kilian is a NYC-based senior art director and designer with deep experience leading design teams to craft compelling products for major brands. His unique skill set spans print and digital - he's created everything from CPG packaging, to brand identity, to graphic tees, to social media campaigns, all of which tell visual stories that connect with a brand’s audience to drive business results. He is currently an Art director at BuzzFeed, leading Brand Licensing Design, shaping the retail look of brands like Hot Ones and Tasty. On this episode, Michael talks with Laura Stillo about his journey from growing up in New York to leading brand design at BuzzFeed. He highlights his early career in graphic design and how his love for skateboarding and analog design influences his work.

Alison Beckner is a writer, communications strategist and experience enhancer. After decades in executive roles in international fashion and luxury industries, through healing arts vertical red thread, she now puts her personal expansion tools into practice to help people get out of their heads and into their bodies, combining a variety of modalities that are transformative, informative and simple. On this episode, Jessica Moriber interviews Alison , a communications strategist turned embodiment facilitator. Alison shares her journey from working in the international fashion and luxury industries to her current work, which focuses on creating immersive, transformative experiences that help people get out of their heads and into their bodies. She emphasizes the importance of curiosity, connection, and the power of breath in her work.

Jessica Moriber is a Holistic Life Coach and Wellness Specialist. She has trained with the leading Health and wellness institutions and works with a diverse array of clients including from fashion to tech including Google and Medtronic among others. Her focus is on practical lifestyle shifts that lead to authentic transformation She supports individuals and companies in addressing the root cause of overwhelm, stress and adversity so that they optimize their health and wellbeing through creating a foundation of inner resilience. She works with clients 1:1, in groups and corporate workshops. On this episode, Jessica talks with Alison Beckner about holistic life coaching where she blends wellness and life coaching to help clients transform their lives. She shares how her career evolved from fashion and hospitality, which organically transitioned her into the wellness space.

Samantha Yeager is a seasoned supply chain specialist within the apparel space. With a track record of success at iconic fashion brands such as Rag and Bone, Oscar de la Renta and Calvin Klein, Samantha has spent her career deep in product development and expanding through the retail supply chain. She prides herself on her ability to organize the chaos while creating simplified and streamlined processes wherever she goes. Samantha currently leads the retail division at SoulCycle and in this episode discusses her pivot from luxury fashion houses to the active apparel space. On this episode, Bridie McPhie interviews Samantha Yeager about her career transition into fitness retail. Samantha shares key roles at major fashion brands and details about her current role overseeing SoulCycle’s retail division.

Australian-born and New York-based for 6 years, Bridie is a dynamic marketing professional with expertise across fashion, tech, and sustainability. In her role as Senior Lead of US Marketing at Back Market, she helps to drive innovative strategies and growth to reshape the future of technology. On this episode, Bridie talks with Samantha Yeager about her diverse career journey from fashion journalism to digital marketing. She also shares his transition from Brisbane to New York and her current role in promoting refurbished tech and sustainability.