MARYELLEN TORRES

Address: 487 Grove Street * Framingham, MA 01701 * Mobile: 508-231-6106 * Phone

: 508-877-6563 * email: mt111b8aa@westpost.net
STRATEGIC MARKETING / BRAND MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT / CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
Accomplished strategic marketer, brand builder and corporate strategist with ove
r 20 years of experience in entertainment and consumer products industry. Worked
in start-ups and established organizations on various vertical and cross-functi
onal teams. Ability to define high-level strategies, implement effective solutio
ns and create/establish strong brands. A key decision-maker influencing the comp
any's vision/ strategy, brand, marketing and digital strategies. Consistent reco
rd of sales, profit and market share performance through P & L responsibility an
d management of marketing, creative, technical staff and programs. Honed strateg
ic brand management skills through brand development and management consulting e
xperience at the prestigious firms of The Walt Disney Company, The TJX Companies
, Andersen Consulting and Booz*Allen & Hamilton, Inc. Lived and worked in United
States, Taiwan, Japan and Spain. Areas of expertise include:
Brand Management Product Management Packaging Advertising Corporate Identity
Market Research Business Development Forecasting Pricing/Planning Public Relati
ons
New Product Introduction Corporate Development Sales Promotion Marketing Admini
stration Digital/Social Media
PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS
Motivates teams to exemplary performance, building several teams that have funct
ioned independently. Recognized for strategic, innovative management style resul
ting in high levels of team productivity. Thrives on a dynamic and challenging e
nvironment. Creative in all phases of brand marketing activities as well as an
effective manager of people and projects. Outstanding interpersonal and communic
ation skills. A brand marketer who successfully introduced and maintained market
share for multiple product lines in extremely competitive industries. Well orga
nized with an analytical, strategic perception of businesses. An effective balan
ce between solid brand marketing and strategic skills. Expert multi-tasking abil
ities. Proficient at identifying, analyzing and simplifying complex problems, st
rong instincts for what will sell. A competitive drive to get things done. Entre
preneurial spirit, enthusiastic, conceptual and disciplined.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

THE TJX COMPANIES - AJWRIGHT DIVISION - BRANDING, MARKETING, ADVERTISING AND VIS
UAL DESIGN 2007 - Present
Vice President, Marketing Director - Reporting to Divisional President, FRAMIN
GHAM, MA
Senior Executive and Department Head for a $1 billion turn around division of th
e TJX companies. Responsible for the creation and management of a department of
10+ and an $18+ million budget in the functional areas of: branding, marketing,
advertising, digital and social media, consumer and business insights, PR, inter
nal communications, private label design and visual design
* Instrumental part of senior team that turned around an unprofitable division i
n less than 12 months, grew division from $660m to $1B
* Strategic lead for the 5 year plan, brand strategy and customer profiling; int
egral player in creation of operational and distribution strategies and procedur
es, financial planning, merchandising and product allocation, and real estate in
itiatives
* Reduced the A/S ration from 3% to 1.5% and instituted the first chain-wide nat
ional marketing programs targeting budget-conscience consumers and increased tra
nsaction counts by 15% year over year for 3 years; opened 50+ stores and redesig
ned 40+ store in 18 mos.
* Built Marketing/Advertising department and instituted the discipline of brand
management to 4,400 employees including the field and DC's
* Re-positioned the brand, creating a brand platform and company's core values d
eveloped from customer insights and business strategies
* Brand work included all creative material, award-winning brand video, corporat
e identity, store design and more
* Created all marketing, advertising and multiple customer insights vehicles for
the brand including digital, social and traditional media
* Created first robust website and mobile applications; created the division's f
irst social media platform including several micro sites (model search competiti
on with online voting), contests and innovative content (:60 sec of savings) for
customer engagement
* Instituted innovative marketing vehicles to drive awareness/comp sales: i.e. m
odel search, video 'Confessional' booths', 'What's On Her Mind?' calendar and Cr
eative Expressions Outreach Program with BGCA (Project Wrap Up Happy at YouTube.
com) winning 2 Addy Gold Awards
* Successfully opened the first new market in Atlanta, GA with 9 stores, beat pr
oforma projections by 45%, executing a new brand format, partnership with Michae
l Knight from BRAVO 'Project Runway', blogger events and community outreach with
the Mayor of Atlanta

MEIJER, INC. - CORPORATE AND BRAND DEVELOPMENT, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 2003 - 2007
Director of Brand and Corporate Development - Dual reporting to President and Ex
ecutive VP of Merchandising
Responsible for 60+ individuals in the functional areas of: branding, corporate
development, visual merchandising, package design, private label development, sp
ace planning and common areas for a $14B regional Supercenter
* Major contributor in determining the overall strategic position for the compan
y
* Developed corporate brand platform and product strategy focusing on consumable
s
* Instrumental in defining 5 year strategic plan, brand strategy and product dif
ferentiation plan
* Project managed 65+ initiatives, champion for branding, localization and produ
ct development
* Responsible for consistency of all consumer touch points including positioning
Meijer in the industry
* Created style guides for 40 departments, corporate identity manual, and brand
hierarchy for private labels
* Defined product brands for cross departmental use, created brand books, positi
oning statements
* Created multi-tiered product brand strategy incorporating good, better, best a
nd lifestyle branding
* In charge of 2 new store designs, creating an exciting and efficient shopping
environment effecting chain wide remodel strategies including departmental and p
roduct adjacencies
* Incorporated navigational aids and educational signage impacting closure rates
by 20%
* Defined new store openings and remodel processes, reducing overall store cost
by 15%.
* Generated over $17 million in new revenue streams focused around ancillary ser
vices (i.e. Financial Services) and advertising revenue through signage, radio a
nd multi-media.
* Responsible for $100 million in sales volume and merchandising plan for the co
mmon areas.
* Negotiated/re-negotiated multiple strategic partner agreements resulting in $2
5 million of in sales
STRATEGIC MARKETING AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT 1999 - 2003
Highly sought after Marketing and Business Development executive in a close-knit
business community, recruited to create, define and add structure to marketing,
branding and corporate development activities. Responsible for product/corporat
e marketing, branding, advertising, research, PR, new product initiatives, busin
ess development, legal affairs, licensing, corporate strategy, and Internet init
iatives. Managed a group of 20+ coordinators to directors in marketing, branding
, business development and legal areas. Assisted companies in creating business
plans to secure venture capital, strategic marketing plans to grow market share
in a competitive landscape and operating plans to create a solid foundation to r
un/turnaround a company.
FASTURN, INC., Century City, CA - Supply Chain Management Software, focusing on
apparel/textiles
Vice President of Marketing Reporting to the CEO
* Developed new product program from acquired brand. Justified 200% price increa
se. Generated revenues significantly earlier than forecasted.
* Successfully acquired/merged 30-year old established brand with newly created
product brand. Established the company and product in a fiercely competitive lan
dscape.
* Led the brand change from a consumer-developed brand to a business-to-business
operational brand.
CHECKOUT.COM, LLC, Beverly Hills, CA - Entertainment/e-commerce start-up
Vice President of Corporate Development Reporting to COO
* Re-negotiated contracts, increased partnership value and eliminated non-value
deals. Reduced run rate by $5m.
* Created three new revenue streams-syndicating content, licensing technology an
d advertising revenue.
* Reengineered processes. Reduced implementation time and increased effectivenes
s of alliances and marketing.
ENCORE SOFTWARE, INC., Los Angeles, CA - Entertainment games and educational sof
tware
Vice President of Marketing and Product Development Reporting to CEO
* Created structure to develop/market $50 million product line of original/licen
sed content. Tripled previous $13 million product line.
* Developed/integrated value software line. Generated more than $5 million in sa
les in 90 days.
* Created a comprehensive direct marketing plan. Generated over $3 million from
list rentals and direct sales.

The Walt Disney Company - STRATEGIC BRAND AND PRODUCT MARKETING, BURBANK, CA 199
6 - 1999
Department Head Reporting to the Executive Vice President
Managed 30+. Responsible for Business Planning/Development for Walt Disney Imagi
neering. Created two functional groups for Disney Publishing and developed produ
ct marketing programs for Disney Interactive.
* Selected to create a strategic marketing plan to reinvigorate the Mickey Mouse
brand worldwide and to define a new worldwide brand model for the Disney consum
er products.
* Evaluated over 15 new business ventures including entertainment centers and ho
tels.
* Negotiated/closed Barnes and Noble agreement. Increased in-store promotions fo
r three divisions by 300%.
* In-charge of marketing functions for interactive games. Managed a $15-million
budget and product P & L performance.
* Negotiated $5+ million OEM and promotional deals. Developed the company's rela
tionship with major technology firms such as Intel.

SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. - PRODUCT MANAGER, SEATTLE, WA 1994 - 1996

Managed all marketing/business activities for 45+ products. Responsible for bud
gets in excess of $7.5 million for new releases and backlist products, managed a
ll branding, advertising, promotions, research and retail.
* Acquired three companies/product lines, sales volume of $20 million. Created n
ew educational market revenue stream.

ANDERSEN CONSULTING - MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, SEATTLE, WA 1993 - 1994

Business Innovation leader for $450m customer service and billing system for nat
ional cellular company. Instrumental in project strategy, cost-benefit analysis
, workplan, budgets and benchmarking for 4 releases.
* Created and published methodology used in Business Process Re-engineering sess
ions and implementation.

MARSH & MCLENNAN, INC., ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, NEW YORK, NY 1989 - 1991
* Sales of personal risk management programs - exceeded revenue generation goals
by 190%.
* Successfully developed a business unit targeting the insurance needs of art de
alers/galleries.

BOOZ*ALLEN & HAMILTON INC., STRATEGIC CONSULTANT, New York, NY 1988 - 1989
* Developed and championed strategic direction for HRIS systems: designed and im
plemented 70% savings for staff appraisal process.

EDUCATION
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Ann Arb
or, MI
* Master of Business Administration, 1993, Strategic Brand Marketing and Corpora
te Strategy.
* Recipient of the Chase Manhattan Scholarship.
* Business Plan based on an Entertainment Intellectual Property Company won mult
iple U of M competitions, the national business plan competition and selected fo
r Moot Corp. International Competition.
* Internship, Apple Computer, developed strategies for two vertical markets, for
ecasted potential growth, identified strategic business partners and co-marketin
g strategies with two professional associations.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - SCHOOL OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE AND ARTS Ann Arbor,
MI
* Bachelor of Arts, 1988, Industrial and Labor Relations, minor in Brand Marketi
ng.
* All-American Springboard and Platform diver, competing on the collegiate team
with Olympic coach
* Studied Spanish culture, history and art in Salamanca, Spain
* Analyst, Keizai Koho Center, Tokyo, developed/executed plan for exports by eas
ing tariff and quotas.

Honored as one of Advertising Age's 2008 'Women to Watch' for innovative brandin
g and marketing programs
REFERENCES PROVIDED UPON ESTABLISHMENT OF MUTUAL INTEREST