NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Athletic Greens, the direct-to-consumer subscription company behind the world’s most comprehensive and convenient daily nutrition product, AG1, announced today the appointment of Kat Cole as President and Chief Operating Officer, as well as member of the company’s Board of Directors. Cole joins the company after a 10-year tenure with Focus Brands, where she was most recently the President and COO, overseeing the company’s nine presidents and businesses generating billions in sales around the world.
Cole joins Athletic Greens at a pivotal time as the health and wellness leader is one of the fastest growing nutrition companies on the planet. With annual sales growth approaching 200% YoY, Athletic Greens continues to chart new growth due to the passionate and loyal community of subscribers who value the ease, quality and efficacy of AG1, the all-in-one daily health drink that delivers a foundational nutritional habit. Cole steps into the role as the global health and wellness category is positioned for explosive growth that will push the industry to $7 trillion in annual revenue by 2024* as more consumers make proactive health choices, seek simple habits, focus on healthy aging, and address unhealthy lifestyle decisions.
Cole is a highly-experienced executive who was previously President and COO at Focus Brands, the parent company of Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s, Schlotzsky’s, McAllister’s, Carvel, Seattle’s Best Coffee International, and Jamba. Cole oversaw all businesses, their 6,000 operations globally, and the multi-brand licensing and CPG business with 90,000+ points of retail distribution. Cole brings with her more than 20 years of operational, brand, and executive leadership experience and has an MBA from Georgia State University and an honorary Doctorate from Johnson and Wales University.
In her role at Athletic Greens, Cole will join Chris Ashenden, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, to lead the company and will focus on driving organizational scale, accelerating business growth and global expansion, innovation, and more. She will also lead efforts to extend and deepen the company brand, both within the growing community of daily subscribers, and into an omnichannel environment that spans the physical and digital. As a highly visible creator economy and web3 evangelist, Cole will help Athletic Greens identify and execute upon web3 and blockchain opportunities that build community and enhance brand connection.
"Kat is a world-class leader, experienced growth executive and all-around special human. We are thrilled to have her join Athletic Greens as our business is experiencing outstanding growth and the global opportunity for simple, effective daily nutrition solutions continues to widen," said Chris Ashenden, Athletic Greens Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Kat’s track record of building great businesses, leading teams, innovating, and strengthening brands will power Athletic Greens to grow and deepen relationships with our dedicated global community of AG1 customers.”
Under Cole’s leadership, Athletic Greens will pioneer their leadership of the foundational nutrition category, and the broader wellness industry, by serving customers with an easy, all-in-one drink that provides a daily nutritional foundation while supporting health through the improved access and absorption of nutrients. In a highly-fragmented space, the company has demystified the confusing and difficult experience of getting effective daily nutrition with AG1, a foundational daily product that effectively combines eight nutrition categories (including multivitamins, probiotics, greens powders and more) into a daily drink that is high-quality, efficacious, and great-tasting.
“Athletic Greens is a wellness rocket ship with a mission-driven founder and passionate team who have created a new consumer category that represents an epicly effective foundational component of daily nutrition and I’m thrilled to join this movement,” said Kat Cole, President and Chief Operating Officer. “As a busy mom, investor, and leader, strengthening my nutritional foundation, leading a healthier life, and building businesses that help others do the same have become my top priorities. At Athletic Greens, I see a perfect combination of company, product and trusted brand that is meaningfully improving lives around the world through simple changes to daily habits, while building a wildly successful global business.”
Cole is a sought after advisor and speaker on leadership, brands, and multi-channel innovation, and she presently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of growth stage VC and PE backed companies Milk Bar and Slice, as well as on the Board of HumanCo SPAC. She is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a former member of the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council, and was named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40 in 2013. Cole is former Chair of the Board of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, has angel invested in over 60 early and growth stage companies in consumer, wellness, and SMB tech, and has led women’s development initiatives in the U.S. and Rwanda.
ABOUT ATHLETIC GREENS
Athletic Greens is a global health company with a mission to empower people to take ownership of their health. The company sells comprehensive and convenient daily nutrition products that make it easy to get the nutritional insurance our bodies need. The company’s flagship product, AG1, is a comprehensive, all-in-one nutritional powder engineered to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet and support your body's nutritional needs across four pillars of health: gut health, immune support, energy, and recovery. Developed from a complex blend of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food-sourced ingredients, AG1 contains no GMOs, no harmful ingredients, no artificial colors or sweeteners, and is diet-friendly whether you eat keto, paleo, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free or practice intermittent fasting. Athletic Greens was founded in 2010 by CEO and serial entrepreneur Chris Ashenden and is a globally remote company with operations spanning North America, Europe and Asia. Learn more at athleticgreens.com.
*Credit Suisse Wellness Sector Initiation “An Apple a Day,” April 2021
