Casper Announces Kate Spade Alum and Former Alexis Bittar President as Chief Experience Officer
Furniture World News Desk on
8/26/2016
Casper recently announced the hires of Taryn Laeben as Chief Experience Officer and President of Global Retail and Business Development (CXO), Eric Lewis as Vice President of Global Operations, and Michael Behrens as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). These key executive team additions will further Casper's rapid growth and bring proven expertise to the company as it continues to expand internationally and add to its innovative product line.
Laeben joins Casper from the jewelry company Alexis Bittar, where she served as the company's first President. She previously served as Vice President of International and later SVP of North America at Kate Spade. In her new role as CXO, Laeben will lead all customer experience initiatives for Casper, including retail expansion and business development.
"I'm thrilled to have joined Casper — an incredible business model housed in a truly beautiful brand," said Laeben. "In an environment where disruptive, tech-enabled companies continue to challenge the traditional retail industry, Casper has great runway to further this movement and redefine the sleep category. I look forward to helping to realize this in partnership with the Casper founders and team."
Lewis most recently served as Head of Regional Operations at Google, where he led west coast operations of Google Express and oversaw the launch of their same-day delivery service to seven major metropolitan areas. Prior to Google, he was a GM at Amazon, where he ran fulfillment operations. As VP of Global Operations, he will oversee supply chain, logistics, and international operations.
A world-class marketer who founded Experiential Squared and led marketing at ReVana Digital, Behrens joins Casper as CMO, where he will lead its acquisition, retention, communications, analytics, content, and experiential marketing teams.
"We are continually looking for ways to further our mission of being the global leader in sleep innovation," said Philip Krim, Casper's co-founder and CEO. "With a rich blend of expertise in retail, e-commerce, and operations, the additions of Taryn, Eric, and Michael to our team will help us expand the category, reach new markets, and continue to provide our growing customer base with a phenomenal experience across the globe."
These hires come on the heels of Casper's recent retail partnership with West Elm and international expansion to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Since launching in April 2014, Casper has grown to more than 175 employees and has expanded its product offerings from its universally comfortable mattress to perfectly designed sheets and pillows.
More about Casper: Casper is a global sleep company that launched in 2014 with one perfect mattress sold directly to consumers — eliminating commission-driven, inflated prices. Its critically acclaimed sleep surface was developed in-house, has a sleek design, and is delivered in a small, "how did they do that?"-sized box. The company is one of the fastest growing consumer brands of all time, and its product line has increased to include sheets and pillows. Casper was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in the World, and its eponymous mattress was crowned one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2015.