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Tonya Berry

Brand Growth & Go-to-Market Advisor | Global Brands, Retail & Licensing

About Me

I help companies make better growth decisions when the stakes are high, the answer is not obvious, and the team needs a clear path forward. My work sits at the intersection of brand strategy, go-to-market planning, portfolio strategy, licensing, retail expansion, international growth, and commercial execution. I am not a general marketing freelancer. I am a senior operator who has built, fixed, expanded, repositioned, and protected brands across multiple industries, business models, channels, and markets. I have led growth and transformation work for iconic brands including Serta, Beautyrest, Simmons, Tuft & Needle, Scott, Kleenex, Depend, Poise, SkinCeuticals, Matrix, Zep, and other consumer and B2B businesses. My experience spans consumer products, beauty, healthcare, home, bedding, cleaning, retail, ecommerce, hospitality, licensing, international expansion, and private equity-backed environments. Companies usually come to me when they are facing a timely business problem, such as: • Growth has stalled and the team is not aligned on what to do next • A brand has lost clarity, relevance, or commercial focus • A new product, market, channel, or partnership needs a sharper strategy • The business has too many opportunities and no disciplined way to prioritize • Retail, licensing, or international expansion needs structure before money is wasted • Leadership needs a board-ready, investor-ready, or executive-ready recommendation I bring the perspective of someone who has worked inside large global companies, PE-backed businesses, founder-led environments, and advisory engagements. I have managed a $3.1B global licensing portfolio across 70+ partners and 180+ markets, delivered 22% royalty-revenue growth, helped establish Serta as the #1 U.S. bedding-accessories brand, and led portfolio optimization work that generated $10MM in savings. What makes my work different is the combination of strategic rigor and commercial reality. I do not stop at frameworks. I help teams identify the real issue, evaluate trade-offs, choose where to focus, and turn decisions into practical plans that can be executed by sales, marketing, product, operations, partners, retailers, and leadership teams. I am best suited for projects involving brand strategy, growth strategy, go-to-market planning, commercialization, licensing, retail or channel expansion, international market entry, portfolio optimization, customer segmentation, strategic workshops, and executive-level advisory work.

Jurisdiction

United States | India | Japan | Turkey | France | Ireland | Iceland | Netherlands | United Kingdom | South Africa | Australia | New Zealand | Argentina | Canada | Chile | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Ecuador | Guatemala | Panama | Peru | Puerto Rico | Paraguay | Uruguay

Notable Employer

  • Vice President, Global Licensing & International Expansion at SERTA SIMMONS BEDDING
  • Associate Marketing Director at KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION
  • Senior Brand Manager at NOVARTIS
  • Senior Marketing Manager at L'OREAL, USA

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Founder & Principal BRANDED POSSIBILITIES
2025 - Present

Advise executive teams and growth-stage organizations on growth strategy, strategic partnerships, licensing, brand and portfolio strategy, go-to-market planning, commercialization, and executive decision-making. * Develop growth strategies that clarify where to play, how to win, and how to scale, integrating customer segmentation, value proposition, pricing, channels, portfolio priorities, and market expansion. * Advise on licensing, brand extension, partnership strategy, and commercial models, balancing growth potential with economics, brand protection, customer requirements, and execution capability. * Lead mandates spanning SaaS commercialization, integrated marketing strategy, and consumer-product/licensing advisory, translating complex inputs into business cases, roadmaps, KPIs, and execution priorities.

Vice President, Global Licensing & International Expansion NotableSERTA SIMMONS BEDDING
2020 - 2025

Led P&L, global licensing, partnerships, international expansion, merchandising, product development, and commercial performance across Serta , Beautyrest , Simmons , and Tuft & Needle . * Directed a $3.1B licensed retail-sales portfolio across 70+ partners and 180+ markets, delivering 22% royalty revenue growth through category expansion, partner performance, improved contract economics, and geographic growth. * Built senior relationships with Walmart, Costco, BJ s, TJX, Ross, HomeGoods, Kohl s, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Accor; negotiated and restructured agreements to expand distribution, improve economics, and protect revenue through Chapter 11 and partner disruption. * Elevated Serta to the #1 U.S. bedding accessories brand by aligning product, merchandising, POP/display, retail, and partner strategies around category and customer growth.

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy & MarketingZEP, INC.
2018 - 2020

Board-appointed leader across four U.S. and Canadian B2B and retail businesses, overseeing portfolio optimization, pricing, innovation, go-to-market execution, and brand transformation for executive leadership and private equity stakeholder. * Repositioned Zep through B2B/B2C segmentation, customer journeys, value propositions, and channel strategy, including work with national distributors HD Supply and Grainger. * Delivered $10MM in savings through global SKU rationalization while preserving market coverage and customer satisfaction; established enterprise portfolio, pricing, and innovation governance. * Led a 25-person team and trade-show strategy through COVID-related disruption, aligning sales, product, procurement, operations, and marketing to sustain commercial execution.

Associate Marketing DirectorNotableKIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION
2013 - 2018

Owned P&L, category management, innovation, product development, retailer engagement, promotions, and international brand development across consumer and professional businesses in North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC. Recognized as Top Talent for three consecutive years and nominated for the Compass Award for leadership and team development. * Led the approximately $150MM Scott Shop Towels P&L, delivering 3.2% sales growth and 3.4% margin expansion in a declining category and generating $7.9MM in incremental sales at a $7.30 marketing ROI. * Served as Walmart category captain; a collaborative product launch exceeded innovation goals by 25%, increased Walmart.com page views 20%, and delivered 3% POS lift. * Developed POP/display, retail activation, and trade-show programs supporting customer engagement and commercialization across consumer and professional-product channels.

Senior Marketing DirectorTHE ONECARE COMPANY
2010 - 2013

Led licensed and private-label product portfolios across laundry, cleaning, fabric care, and accessories in the U.S. and Canada, with responsibility for development, pricing, margins, retail commercialization, and launches. * Grew revenue 10% through new products, omnichannel marketing, and licensed/private-label expansion with Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company brands including Evercare , Dryel , Febreze , Downy , Bounce , Dreft , and Clorox . * Launched 25+ products in the U.S. and Canada with Target, Meijer, Rite Aid, Safeway, Canadian Tire, SuperValu, and other retailers. * Improved margins 15% across 298 SKUs through pricing strategy and cost management, delivering $460K in savings.

Senior Brand ManagerNotableNOVARTIS
2008 - 2010

Brand manager for lens care, disposable contact lenses and fashion contact lenses. Grew Clear Care from #3 to #2 market share and delivered POS growth of 17% at Walmart, 16% at Target, 22% at Costco, and 24% at Walgreens while the category declined; also developed POP/display programs and led trade-show execution.

Senior Marketing ManagerNotableL'OREAL, USA
2003 - 2007

Led international launch for skincare brand. For hair care brand, promotions achieving 172% and 111% of sales targets and 11% sell-in growth; developed POP/display programs and led trade-show execution across professional beauty channels.

Education

Masters of Business AdministrationCOLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL
2002 - 2004
Diploma of Executive Leadership CertificateHARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
2022 - 2022
Masters of Engineering and Applied MechanicsUNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
1995 - 1997
Degree of Civil EngineeringDUKE UNIVERSITY
1990 - 1994

Skills

Core skills10
Interests8
Languages1

Skills

Brand Strategy
Licensing Strategy
Growth Strategy
Market Expansion
Retail Strategy
Portfolio Strategy
Customer Segmentation
Strategic Planning
Go-to-Market Strategy
Commercialization

Interests

Consumer Brands
Global Expansion
Licensing
Brand Growth
Product Launches
Channel Expansion
Workshops
Executive Advisory

Languages

English