Skincare entrepreneur joins Ecoya board

October 10, 2011

No Beach For Trilogy’s Gibbs Skincare entrepreneur joins Ecoya board
Skincare entrepreneur joins Ecoya board

What do you do when you cash up your business and take home a few million? Some retire. Others do the two Bs - new Bach and Beamer. Perhaps the South of France might beckon.

None of that for Wellington’s Sarah Gibbs.

In her case – Ms Gibbs co-founded Trilogy which sold last year to listed home fragrance and bath and body company Ecoya – she plans to make the company even bigger.

A year later and Ms Gibbs has now been appointed to the Ecoya board alongside such prominent business people as Rob Fyfe, Collette Dinnigan and Geoff Ross, among others.

Ms Gibbs says now Trilogy is within the Ecoya stable, it has much greater resource to become an even bigger Kiwi company.

“This is what excites me,” she says. “By growing and creating more revenue we can deliver more jobs for New Zealanders in a high value category.”

In addition to her board post, Ms Gibbs is taking on a senior role in growing offshore markets for both Trilogy and Ecoya.

Ecoya executive chairman Geoff Ross says her skill set is unique.

“Sarah is a perfect addition to the Ecoya Board. And rather than heading to the beach she is heading to international markets to help this Kiwi company grow.

“Sarah is a proven entrepreneur, she completely understands the category and she brings an additional female viewpoint to the board. Plus her appointment ensures the Trilogy perspective is acknowledged and driven from the most senior level in the business.

“And with a significant portion of the purchase price for Trilogy paid in Ecoya shares, it makes sense for her future wealth creation to make Trilogy and Ecoya even bigger,” Mr Ross says.

Sarah Gibbs worked in corporate finance in Hong Kong, South Africa and London. She returned to New Zealand in 1998 and formed a company to manufacture ingredients for the natural cosmetics and supplements industries.

In 2002 she established natural skincare brand Trilogy with her sister Catherine de Groot.

Today Trilogy’s product range comprises more than 40 high performance face, body and hair care products sold in 3,500 stores in 16 international markets including Australasia, the UK, Ireland and Asia.

Company highlights include:

• 2005 – Trilogy named Emerging Exporter of the Year at the ANZ Wellington Exporter of the Year Awards
• 2006 – Trilogy is third fastest growing New Zealand business on the Deloitte / Unlimited fast 50 index with 690 per cent growth. Trilogy appears on the index for the following three years.
• 2010 – Trilogy wins Supreme Wellington Gold business awards.
• 2010 – Trilogy sells to natural home fragrance, bath and body company Ecoya in $20 million deal.

In addition to her Ecoya appointment, Sarah Gibbs currently sits on the executive boards of Export New Zealand and The Cosmetics Toiletries and Fragrance Associations.

www.trilogyproducts.com
www.ecoya.com.au

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