The Gendel Girls Welcome Marketing Guru Umang Shah as Acting Global CMO

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwired - July 13, 2016) - The Gendel Girls, the family behind QVC's largest intimate apparel brand, has announced the appointment of Umang Shah as Acting Global CMO. Shah joins the company from Campbell Soup Company, where he served as Director of Digital Marketing and Marketing Innovation. In his new position, Shah will lead all marketing efforts at The Gendel Girls and report directly to CEO and Founder Kathy Gendel.

Kathy Gendel left the corporate world in 1994 with an entrepreneurial drive that led to the launch of The Gendel Girls' and QVC's best-selling intimates' brand, Breezies®. After serving as a change agent at Campbell Soup Company, and Walmart and Microsoft before that, Shah has decided to do the same. He will lend his vast marketing expertise to grow The Gendel Girls business to include new product categories, distribution channels and licensing opportunities.

"We are looking forward to Umang's many contributions in helping shape our future," said Gendel, whose three daughters all operate individual areas of the company and appear regularly, along with Kathy, on QVC. "Our company has enjoyed tremendous success on QVC, through which The Gendel Girls have amassed a loyal following of millions of viewers. Umang's deep experience in marketing strategy and innovation and understanding of the modern consumers' mindset will prove invaluable as we build on that incredible foundation and take The Gendel Girls brand to the next level."

While at Campbell's, Shah led their digital marketing strategy, which encompassed both consumer-facing communications and corporate initiatives. He also oversaw the company's digital and social media activities and policies, as well as mobile, web, CRM and emerging media activation. Prior, Shah was Director of Social Media Strategy at Walmart, where he used social media platforms to manage and improve the company's reputation. Before that, he served as a Social Media Strategist for Microsoft.

In his new role, Shah will lead all The Gendel Girls marketing and branding efforts, including advertising, strategic partnerships, social media and public relations.

"I was looking for a change from the corporate world, and working with The Gendel Girls is a perfect opportunity for me to stretch my creative muscles and have some fun with such an exciting brand," said Shah, who has been recognized numerous times for his marketing prowess, including being named recently to the Adweek "50 List" in 2015, a Brand Innovator "40 Under 40," and a MediaPost "All-Star." "The Gendel Girls have a huge following on QVC, but with the special dynamic that the girls have, there's a wonderful opportunity to build a deeper relationship with their fans and grow strong national awareness outside of their existing consumer base."

The hiring of Shah comes on the heels of a historic sales milestone for The Gendel Girls: on June 24, 2016, The Gendel Girls had their most successful day in 22 years, selling more than 150,000 bras in 24 hours.

About The Gendel Girls
Kathy Gendel and her husband Craig left corporate jobs to start a lingerie business in 1994. After a lot of perseverance and a lucky encounter on Madison Avenue, they found a home at QVC, where The Gendel Girls' patented performance fabric, UltimAir® has made Breezies® the largest intimate apparel brand on the network. Based outside Philadelphia and operating on a family farm, The Gendel Girls are first and foremost a family business with Kathy, the CEO, at the helm and her three daughters: Kalina Gendel, Chief Operating Officer, and Laurissa Gendel, President, in tandem leadership, and Catherine Gendel, VP of Creative Marketing. One of only a handful of on-air family personalities in the entire home-shopping genre, The Gendel Girls have been a mainstay on QVC for 22 years, having sold millions of bras and panties.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/7/13/11G106468/Images/Umang_Shah_2016-c92cd3082c57bd35baa5371a378de97e.jpg
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/7/13/11G106468/Images/IMG_0880-83891d9b784da938a2168691ece3a455.JPG