Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Patents
Publications
Timeline
Generic
CHRISTINE LEE

CHRISTINE LEE

Oakville,CT

Summary

Senior R&D Director with 24 years of product design and consumer insight expertise with a track record of working seamlessly across functional and geographical interfaces, of developing high-performing teams of creators, and of being a key business partner to land impactful innovations in market. An insight-minded scientist with a passion for landing cutting-edge technology in superior product designs that meet the needs of our consumers and bringing this to life through novel claims & product demos.

Overview

24
24
years of professional experience

Work History

Senior R&D Director, Consumer Technical Insight & Claims, Skin Cleansing

UNILEVER
Trumbull, CT
06.2021 - Current
  • Led development and implementation of the global technical consumer strategy in close collaboration with business leaders for a €2.7B+ business
  • Restructured and transformed the global team responsible for translating trends, consumer needs & behaviors into superior designs and claims for Dove, Dove Men+Care and Axe
  • Fostered a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous learning and a mindset of storytelling whether formulating, new method development, crafting claims, or activating with retailers and in market
  • Introduced Insight Incubator Process to upskill the CTI team on insight creation and applied this to generating insights and product ideas for the melanin-rich US consumer in 2023
  • Established “Path to Win” approaches for Right-First-Time design breaking the consumer journey into key moments of truth, optimizing at each stage through qualitative & quantitative tools including several new custom methods and sensory models leading to a 91% Dove benchmarking win rate on turnover tested, in market by end 2024 – an improvement of 17% in 3 years
  • Also applied sensory models to create a “tolerance & trade-offs” model which we applied for resilience & savings of ~€0.8M in 2022
  • Instituted a Suite of Claims creation & optimization tools: Claims Roadmaps bringing consumers along the brand journey and unlocking long-term technology pipelines
  • Precision Claims Libraries featuring over 250 + product/ingredient claims for quick deployment in targeted social assets
  • Claims-in-context benchmarking to assess and optimize competitiveness of our Front-of-pack claims leading to a 93% win rate on turnover tested
  • Novel proof of efficacy Partnering with S&T and clinical to bring in new methods such as new biomarker measures, more consumer-relevant application protocols, and more diverse and representative clinical panels to prove the differentiation of our technology & empower our claims roadmaps
  • CTI & claims thought leadership activated our new Dove Serum Body washes - a new premium range delivering leave-on like care benefits from the shower - including variants specifically designed to meet the needs of melanin-rich consumers
  • Currently exceeding business case with projected Y1 NSV at $46.5 million.

R&D Senior Director, Axe Skin Cleansing Design

UNILEVER
01.2023 - Current
  • In addition to above CTI & Claims responsibilities, led the product design team for 175M Axe skin cleansing business
  • Navigated the design team – located in the UK - through a challenging restructuring process and revived a consumer-first product design approach in a brand that had been a profitability cell for several years
  • Launched several “Fine fragrance” and Limited Edition variants in EU and applied “Path to win” approaches in Axe design, improving our fragrance win rate by 80% of TO tested as part of an ongoing range relaunch activity

Senior R&D Manager, Product Design & Deploy, Face Care, North America

UNILEVER
01.2019 - 06.2021
  • Managed North America R&D team for Pond’s, Noxzema, Simple, St Ives, Dove M+C deploying new innovations with speed, managing daily operations and resilience challenges, implemented simplification & savings initiatives
  • Launched Pond’s Anti-aging Rejuveness line extension in the US bringing an effective and patented retinol technology to the US at ~16% of the cost/oz of lead competitor for the cash-strapped consumer

Senior R&D Manager, Global CTI & Claims; Body Care

UNILEVER
04.2016 - 12.2018
  • Managed Global and North America CTI teams supporting body & face care for Vaseline, Simple, St
  • Ives & Suave
  • Developed Consumer Benefit Platforms built on consumer habits, preferences, and needs to shape multi-year innovation pipelines spanning products, technology, and claims
  • Introduced Portfolio Optimization: partnered with formulators to organize the skincare chassis portfolio by integrating formula sensory maps with clinical, cost, volume, and turnover data to identify opportunities to enhance the value and to future-proof of our portfolio
  • Applied to a Radical Savings & Simplification initiative worth over €2M for skin care
  • Co-created CTI-Legal Framework: In collaboration with CTI colleagues across categories and Legal, created a framework for streamlining the CTI-legal ways of working
  • Partnered on Brand Architectures: Worked with Brand and Design partners to build on CBPs, consumer and market insights and trends to shape brand architectures and set the stage for next generation brand strategic innovation plans
  • Initiated the Digital Claims Support Dossier tool (DCSD) to translate all claims support documentation from MS word to a searchable digital dashboard tool which is currently used across categories

R&D Manager, Global Consumer & Technical Insights (CTI) & Claims, Skin Care & Cleansing

UNILEVER
07.2010 - 04.2016
  • Managed CTI & claims team supporting Vaseline, Dove bar, Dove HBL, and Baby Dove
  • Successfully landed “The Healing Power of Vaseline” tagline and associated claims in highly regulated markets, including the UK, where we reached an agreement with the MHRA to launch a cosmetic healing claim
  • Developed Expertise & Authority strategy: Partnered with Skin Care Design and Discover to pulling together our technology pipelines across Epigenetics, Microbiome, Barrier Biology, Skin Sensitivity, and Melanogenesis programs into a category E&A strategy and to set publications and patent cadences
  • Promoted the Skin Care E&A framework widely with retailers and influencers in the US
  • Co-authored Microbiome Whitepaper: Worked with Medical Marketing, Science & Technology teams as well as clinical and an external technical w to craft a comprehensive internal reference on ‘all things Microbiome’ and translated this technical understanding into consumer relevant themes, claims, and product ideas.

Senior Project Scientist, Global Product Design, Skin Cleansing

UNILEVER
01.2006 - 07.2010
  • Led Product design for Dove bar launching several new bar variants, novel cleansing formats and was responsible for Dove bar product demo development
  • Created the Dove Crème: Led formula design for a new face and body cleansing format launched as Dove Visible Care and ultimately leveraged across multiple formats, brands & markets
  • Dove Crème – for the first time - changed the drivers for overall liking in body cleansing from fragrance to product consistency
  • Dove bar “Soap Scum” campaigns: Built attention-grabbing claims and product demos around the technical insight that “Soap leaves soap scum on your skin every time you wash
  • Dove is not soap.” This led to a 3-year communication campaign and record bar competitive growth.

Senior Project Scientist, Product Research/Science & Technology, Materials Science Research

UNILEVER
Edgewater, NJ & Trumbull, CT
06.2002 - 01.2006
  • Lead bars research team supporting global relaunch of the Dove bar through materials chemistry, phase behavior and microstructure analysis to support new formula and processing initiatives.

Research Scientist, Product Research/Science & Technology, Machine Dishwashing Research

UNILEVER
Edgewater, NJ
04.2000 - 06.2002
  • Coordinated enzyme research team - including method development for evaluating and improving enzyme performance and stability - and developed new formulas and appraisal methods using new model substrates

Education

Ph.D. Physical Chemistry - Materials Chemistry

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
08-2000

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry -

BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
06-1995

Skills

  • Claims development, support
  • Consumer research
  • Insight generation
  • Managing senior stakeholders
  • Design thinking & optimization
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Innovation & Budget management
  • Ideation, Brainstorming

Patents

  • Dishwashing Composition, US6544941B1, Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, division of Conopco, Inc., Lee, Christine Marie Nixon, Ghatlia, Naresh Dhirajlal
  • Mild, low soluble soap bars which have non-slimy quick rinse perception in use, US20060205620 A1, Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, division of Conopco, Inc., Moaddel, Teanoosh, Yarovoy, Yury, Fair, Michael Joseph, Shafer, Georgia, Lee, Christine Marie Nixon, Meyer, Frank
  • Method of signaling temperature and/or benefit agent release using bar composition comprising thermochromic pigment or dye, EP2144991 B1, Brennan, Michael Augustine, Lee, Christine Marie Nixon, Subramanian, Vivek

Publications

  • Principles of Moisturizer Product Design, J Drugs Dermatol, 18, 1 Suppl, s89-9, 2019, C. Lee, J. Bajor, T. Moaddel, V. Subramanian, J-M. Lee, D. Marrero, S. Rocha
  • Langmuir-Blodgett Films, Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, Mel Schwartz, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 2002, Lee, C.M., Talham, D.R.
  • Monolayers as models for heterogeneous catalysis: Zirconium phosphonate films containing manganese(III)porphyrin, Abs. Am. Chem. Soc., 223, 308-INOR Part 2, 2002, Talham DR, Benitez IO, Bruno B, Camus LJ, Lee CM, Odobel F
  • Monolayers as models for supported catalysts: Zirconium phosphonate films containing manganese(III) porphyrins, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 124, 16, 4363-4370, 2002, Benitez, I.O., Bujoli, B., Camus, L.J., Lee, C.M., Odobel, F., Talham, D.R.
  • Calcium oxolate monohydrate precipitation at phosphatidylglycerol Langmuir monolayers, Langmuir, 16, 14, 6013-6019, 2000, Backov R., Lee C.M., Khan S.R., Mingotaud C., Fanucci G.E., Talham DR.
  • Precipitation of Calcium Oxolate Monohydrate at Phospholipid Monolayers, J. Am. Soc. Nephrology, 10, S359-S363 Suppl. 14, 1999, Backov, R., Khan, S.R., Byer, K., Mingotaud, C., Lee, C.M., Talham, D.R.
  • Palladium Porphyrin Containing Zirconium Phosphonate Langmuir-Blodgett Films, Chem. Mater., 11, 965-976, 1999, Nixon, C.M., LeClaire, K., Odobel, F., Bujoli, B., Talham, D.R.
  • Organic/Inorganic Langmuir-Blodgett Films Based on Known Layered Solids: Divalent and Trivalent Metal Phosphonates, Thin Solid Films, 329, 331-335, 1998, Fanucci, G.E., Seip, C.T., Petruska, M.A., Ravaine, S., Nixon, C.M., Talham, D.R.
  • Metal Phosphonate Langmuir-Blodgett Films: Magnetic Monolayers and Organic/Inorganic Dual Network Assemblies, Supramolecular Chemistry of Synthetic Metallic Materials, NATO ASI Series, 1998, Fanucci, G.E., Nixon, C.M., Petruska, M.A., Seip, C.T., Talham, D.R., Granroth, G.E., Meisel, M.W.

Timeline

R&D Senior Director, Axe Skin Cleansing Design

UNILEVER
01.2023 - Current

Senior R&D Director, Consumer Technical Insight & Claims, Skin Cleansing

UNILEVER
06.2021 - Current

Senior R&D Manager, Product Design & Deploy, Face Care, North America

UNILEVER
01.2019 - 06.2021

Senior R&D Manager, Global CTI & Claims; Body Care

UNILEVER
04.2016 - 12.2018

R&D Manager, Global Consumer & Technical Insights (CTI) & Claims, Skin Care & Cleansing

UNILEVER
07.2010 - 04.2016

Senior Project Scientist, Global Product Design, Skin Cleansing

UNILEVER
01.2006 - 07.2010

Senior Project Scientist, Product Research/Science & Technology, Materials Science Research

UNILEVER
06.2002 - 01.2006

Research Scientist, Product Research/Science & Technology, Machine Dishwashing Research

UNILEVER
04.2000 - 06.2002

Ph.D. Physical Chemistry - Materials Chemistry

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry -

BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE
CHRISTINE LEE