Anne Sempowski Ward is an experienced Board Director and visionary executive who brings a unique blend of marketing expertise, strategic and operational leadership and multicultural competency to boards and corporations. Throughout her career she has delivered exceptional growth and operating performance across both emerging and mature businesses, including some of the world’s most loved brands such as Coca-Cola, Ebony, and Clairol. Her success in building passion brands among diverse consumers and customers has distinguished her as an industry thought leader and sought-after advisor. A forward-focused leader with financial and operational discipline, Anne has accelerated growth, spearheaded turnarounds and strategic M&A, and built talented and diverse teams. A hallmark of her leadership is consistent delivery of sustainable value and noteworthy shareholder returns.

Anne has a long history of board service in public, private, academic and philanthropic sectors. Currently, she serves as an independent director of two public companies: SPS Commerce (NASDAQ: SPSC) and VANDA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VNDA). She also serves on the boards of two private companies: CURiO Brands and The Lip Bar. Her colleagues value her business acumen and sound judgment, marketing innovation, multicultural expertise, and collaborative leadership style.

In her most recent tenure as an operating executive, Anne was CEO of CURiO Brands, a private equity backed portfolio of beauty, wellness and home fragrance brands. During her 12-year tenure, both revenue and EBITDA more than quadrupled. She built a new and more inclusive company culture behind the Cornerstones of Ambition, Creativity, Courage, and Connectedness. She also led two successful investor transitions that delivered 4.5x and 8x returns and two strategic acquisitions that doubled the company’s valuation.