Renee Stuart, Co-CEO and founder of MOXX Brands, is absolutely energised by the fast-paced nature of the consumer goods industry.
She said something was thrilling about the speed at which one can go from an idea to a product sitting on shelves in thousands of stores. What really drew her in was the scale, the ability to reach millions of people and solve real, everyday challenges.
“And honestly, one of the best parts is that I get to work on products I genuinely use in my day-to-day life, from the candles burning in my home to the shampoo in my shower,” said Stuart.
“There's something incredibly fulfilling about building brands around products that make my own life better and knowing they're doing the same for millions of others.”
Before founding MOXX Brands, Stuart spent over 16 years in marketing, advertising and business operations. She started in media and was lucky enough to work on the Heineken and Johnny Walker brands in Europe.
She then moved to China as VP of Global Marketing for a successful global toy and FMCG company, where she learned to build brands at scale. That experience taught her how to take products from concept to thousands of retail doors globally and how to make them resonate with millions of consumers.
Over the years, Stuart has been incredibly lucky to work under some truly inspiring female leaders, each of whom shaped her in different ways. Her first boss was instrumental in her early development and taught her the importance of backing her own skills and having the confidence to stand by her opinions.
While Stuart was working in Amsterdam, her manager there taught her the ‘art of professional presence’ and how to build trust with clients and stakeholders, and to grow her profile both internally and externally.
Most recently, spending five years working under Anna Mowbray (from Zeil and ZURU) was an incredible experience. Mowbray taught Stuart how to be resilient, creative and tenacious in a high-stakes environment, while simultaneously showing her how to build care and consideration into daily operations.
“She was, and still is, an incredible mentor to me. Who you work for is far more important than the brand name on the door,” said Stuart.
“A prestigious company name looks good on a CV, but it’s the leaders you work under who will actually shape your skills, your confidence and your career trajectory. Seek out mentors who challenge you to be better, back your opinions and teach you how to lead with both tenacity and heart.”
Although Stuart has achieved incredible milestones and awards locally and globally, she mentioned that the highlights that hit differently were the ones tied to real consumer impact.
For example, seeing Maison&Muse go viral on TikTok four times, watching everblue Naturals become a top ten haircare brand at Sprouts, or hearing customers say the candles are "the best scents they've ever smelled”.
“Those moments remind me why we do this. We're solving real challenges and exciting millions of people with products they actually love using.”
Her team has continued to motivate her, and she loved seeing Kiwi-born ideas scale onto the world stage. Stuart added that there was something so special about watching a small, world-class team consistently punch above its weight and compete with the biggest global brands.
At the same time, seeing young talent grow, learn and develop at a pace most people only experience in major markets was genuinely inspiring.
“The combination of global reach, genuine consumer impact, and the pride of building something big from a small but mighty country keeps me energised, driven and hugely optimistic about what’s ahead.”
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