STEFANIE BRUNNTHALER
Boston,USA
Summary
Visionary product creation and merchandising leader with 20 years of global expertise in fashion and consumer goods, focused on consumer-centric strategies.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Strategic Product & Merchandising Consultant
Isa-Traesko Group
Hamburg, Germany And Boston, MA
09.2024 - Current
- Comprehensive market research and trend analysis to align US market-specific merchandising efforts with consumer preferences (Footwear, Accessories, and Bags).
- Provide actionable insights from competitive analysis to increase product placement and a more targeted merchandising strategy for Isa-Traesko’s key account in the footwear and accessory category, ALDI.
- Monitor emerging trends & consumer behavior, advising my client on strategic pivots that can lead to new revenue streams.
Strategic Product & Brand Consultant
Timex Group
Waterbury, CT
03.2024 - 09.2024
- Appointed by CEO to lead a deep-dive into the women’s category; expanded into a cross-functional role supporting both women’s and men’s categories across product, consumer, and go-to-market strategy. Spearheaded the segmentation & definition of key product franchises, ensuring long-term brand elevation while supporting commercial needs.
- Developed a seasonally updatable competitive blueprint, helping Timex stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
- Crafted a multi-season product strategy roadmap rooted in consumer insights (quantitative and qualitative) as well as trends, internal capabilities, and market analysis—ensuring future growth and relevance.
- Embedded the foundational DNA of Timex with modern consumer expectations and trends to guide product development, storytelling, and merchandising.
- Led strategic thinking for the development of the women’s category—delivering a thorough competitive audit, identifying whitespace, and articulating the profile of the ideal Timex consumer.
- Strengthened & restructured seasonal briefs across the business to clarify direction, improve execution & align internal teams.
- Brought a fresh outsider perspective—despite no prior horology background—by deeply immersing in watchmaking principles and applying them effectively to category growth.
VP of Women’s Product
The Rockport Group
Newton, MA
07.2019 - 08.2023
- Reported to the Brand President of the Rockport Group. Accountable for vision, ownership, and overall global performance of the women’s footwear category. Responsible for the creation and delivery of a product line strategy and collection that encompassed all elements of the value proposition (product, price, distribution, brand expression, and marketing investment) and maximized the potential of the business.
- Team of 6 direct reports (in-house designers, global team of design consultants/studios, and product managers).
- Delivered a consumer-centric, trend & data-informed product vision, Go-To-Market strategy & plan that delivered to company targets and LRP goals. Identified & championed 'big ideas' and stories for the business to rally behind category assortment.
- Collaborated with brand marketing team on creating seasonal marketing stories and bringing those to life through marketing campaigns (wardrobe style, setting, ambassador/model selection, photoshoot props).
- Provided portfolio expertise of the global competitive space of direct categories, as well as broader brand landscape. In-depth understanding of the competitive dynamic impacting each category and consumer segment, along with the ability to develop merchandising strategies and plans to achieve growth.
- Set the vision for category-appropriate consumer-segmentation models that informed product and marketing strategies, including in-line product, category extensions, new product categories, collaborations, brand communication & marketing.
- Partnered with global merchandising leaders to ensure seasonal forecasts reflect product initiatives, brand strategy, and demand plans. Established processes when required to ensure a strong and regular connection with global markets.
- Identified key global and regional trends and shifts in market direction to inform category, product design, product marketing, and merchandising decisions. Championed a mindset and practice of continuous innovation and improvement.
- Worked with global product development and engineering on sourcing plans that delivered the product strategy (price point, margins, sell-in and sell-through costs, SKU count, and productivity). Managed product lifecycles & global seasonality to maximize sales in and through of product. Segmented product by distribution channel and consumer.
Senior Director, Global Product Development Women’s Footwear
The Rockport Group
Newton, MA
01.2015 - 07.2019
Director, Global Product Development Women’s Footwear
The Rockport Company
Canton, MA
01.2013 - 01.2015
Senior Product Manager
The Rockport Company
Canton, MA
04.2012 - 01.2013
Product Manager
The Rockport Company
Canton, MA
03.2010 - 04.2012
Associate Product Manager
The Rockport Company
Canton, MA
04.2009 - 03.2010
Senior Buyer and Merchandising Lead, Kid’s Footwear
Leder und Schuh AG
Graz, Austria
05.2006 - 05.2008
Buyer, Kids Footwear
Leder und Schuh AG
Graz, Austria
04.2005 - 05.2006
Education
Master’s Degree - International Business
Business School, University of Graz
Austria03-2005
Bachelor Degree - Marketing
Business School, University of Graz
Austria01-2003
Skills
- Market analysis
- Trend forecasting
- Merchandising strategy
- Consumer insights
- Competitive analysis
- Product development
- Brand positioning
- Go-to-market strategy
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
- Data-driven decision making
- Consumer behavior
- Competitor analysis
- Customer segmentation
- Category management
- Trend analysis
- Merchandise planning
- Market research
- Product strategy
Accomplishments
- Timex Group, Spearheaded the development of a comprehensive Women's Brand Strategy and Product Framework. Conducting in-depth competitive analyses and leveraging research data helped build a foundation for suggesting best practices and recommendations for Product, Brand Marketing, and DTC, specifically tailored to the female consumer.
- Rockport, Global Sales Growth Women’s Category ($, Net Returns) 2022: +30%, 2021: +17%, Fall/Winter 2022: US Retail Sales Women’s Category +72%, Rockport Korea Women’s Retail Sales Sell-Thru +26%. Continuous elevation of product line in terms of fashion trend relevance, in line with brand strategy. Spring/Summer 2022 launch of occasion product capsule with success on US e-commerce/US Dropship out of the gate. Successful collaboration launches: Oh Joy! (Spring 2023), Ministry of Supply (Spring 2022).
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
German
Native/ Bilingual
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Strategic Product & Merchandising Consultant
Isa-Traesko Group
09.2024 - Current
Strategic Product & Brand Consultant
Timex Group
03.2024 - 09.2024
VP of Women’s Product
The Rockport Group
07.2019 - 08.2023
Senior Director, Global Product Development Women’s Footwear
The Rockport Group
01.2015 - 07.2019
Director, Global Product Development Women’s Footwear
The Rockport Company
01.2013 - 01.2015
Senior Product Manager
The Rockport Company
04.2012 - 01.2013
Product Manager
The Rockport Company
03.2010 - 04.2012
Associate Product Manager
The Rockport Company
04.2009 - 03.2010
Senior Buyer and Merchandising Lead, Kid’s Footwear
Leder und Schuh AG
05.2006 - 05.2008
Buyer, Kids Footwear
Leder und Schuh AG
04.2005 - 05.2006
Master’s Degree - International Business
Business School, University of Graz
Bachelor Degree - Marketing
Business School, University of Graz
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