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Member Profile

Lauren Maillian Bias

CEO, Luxury Market Branding

Lauren Maillian Bias is a serial entrepreneur; she is the Founder and CEO of Luxury Market Branding, a strategic marketing and branding consultancy where she brings her firsthand knowledge, expertise and passion for marketing to her clients. She is also the Founding Partner and Director of Operations for Gen Y Capital, an early stage venture firm.



Prior to Luxury Market Branding, Lauren was the Proprietor, Creator and Chief Operating Officer of Sugarleaf Vineyards, the only African-American owned and operated winery in Virginia. Today, after being open to the public for less than 5 years Lauren has created Sugarleaf Vineyards as a nationally recognized, internationally award-winning, cult vineyard and brand known for consistently outstanding quality.  The wines produced by Sugarleaf Vineyards under Lauren’s leadership of the brand have received recognition, ratings and awards that rival more established wine regions worldwide. As the Chief Operating Officer of Sugarleaf Vineyards, Lauren’s responsibilities included all aspects of marketing the emerging boutique vineyard, overseeing the accounting and human resources of the business, training employees, ensuring that high quality standards are maintained and implementing procedures so that the regulatory issues surrounding the wine industry are followed. Other areas of the brand that Lauren managed were the creation, design and sale of the vineyards line of apparel and wine accessories.


Lauren has a reputation for being a well respected wine expert, female entrepreneur and innovative marketing professional. Prior to her entrepreneurial and marketing career, Lauren was a well-known international fashion model which gave her valuable insight and firsthand knowledge of the luxury goods and fashion industries. Lauren’s formal expertise, education in marketing, and personal experiences coupled with her career as a model in high fashion markets gives Lauren a keen sense of how to brand, rebrand and maintain the image of both individuals and companies in various industries.


Lauren's work has been featured in national media outlets including Forbes, American Express OPEN Forum, UPTOWN Magazine, and Black Enterprise. Lauren has a Bachelors of Science in International Trade, and Marketing Magnum Cum Laude from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a State University of New York. Lauren is very active in various philanthropic organizations that affect youth and poverty, and is a Lifetime Member of the Children’s Aid Society

Lauren's News Feed

5 Tips To Retaining Star Gen Y Talent Gen Y is always on the go, so how can your company retain these young and talented team members? Use these 5 tips to avoid turnover and motivate your top Millennial employees. Updated Fri Mar 16, 2012
The Serial Entrepreneur's Guide To Reinvention Making the decision to choose and pursue a different path, is easy; making the transition is, without a doubt, the hardest part. There are a few things you should keep in mind if you want to succeed in making a professional transition. Updated Fri Jan 27, 2012

History

Member for
30 weeks 1 hour