Retail is relationship-driven
THE ORIGIN
STORY
I didn’t set out to start a consulting company. I simply knew what retailers required — and I knew many brand founders did not.
I built KSJ Collective because, for three decades, I kept seeing the same gap up close.
At Estée Lauder, I learned what it takes to build a brand retailers trust. At Neiman Marcus, I led beauty merchandising and sat on the other side of the table, working alongside buyers to make decisions in real time. Time and again, I saw exceptional founders walk into those conversations underprepared — not because their products weren’t ready, but because nobody had told them what the room required.
Retail readiness isn’t just about getting into doors. It’s about understanding which partnerships make sense for your brand, what it truly costs to perform inside those retailers, and whether your business is prepared to support the relationship once you’re in. Too many founders learn that the hard way.
In 2018, I founded KSJ Collective around three beliefs that have guided me throughout my career:
Today, we work with founders across beauty, wellness, and lifestyle, bringing access, insight, and strategic guidance shaped by experience across more than 100 brands and a network of 2,500+ retail relationships.
The strongest brands aren’t simply distributed — they’re built with intention, alignment, and the right partnerships. That’s exactly what KSJ Collective was built to help founders do.
I'm Kelly St. John, Founder & CEO
Passion, partnership, and performance.
Meet
the team
Individually specialized. Collectively powerful.
Founder & CEO
Kelly St. John
Kelly St. John is the Founder and CEO of KSJ Collective, a leading strategic growth partner for high-growth beauty brands navigating the path to retail success.
With more than three decades of experience across both brand and retail leadership, Kelly held executive roles at The Estée Lauder Companies and Neiman Marcus, where she developed a reputation for identifying opportunity early, building meaningful partnerships, and helping emerging brands scale with intention.
Having sat on both sides of the table, Kelly brings a rare understanding of what retailers truly expect from brands — and what founders need to build sustainable, high-performing retail partnerships. Her expertise spans retail strategy, distribution planning, merchandising, brand positioning, and long-term growth advisory.
At KSJ Collective, Kelly leads a team of seasoned industry veterans who combine deep relationships, strategic insight, and operational experience to help founders make smarter, more intentional decisions about growth.
Grounded in a people-first philosophy, Kelly believes the strongest businesses are built through trust, integrity, and relational equity. Her approach is rooted in the belief that successful brands are not simply widely distributed — they are thoughtfully positioned, operationally prepared, and built to last.
Beyond KSJ Collective, Kelly remains an active voice shaping the future of the beauty industry through mentorship, advisory work, and leadership initiatives supporting emerging founders.
- Proudest boy mom
- Drawn to art that tells a story
- Interior designer in another life
- Deeply loyal friend
- Lipstick is non-negotiable
Beyond the Bio:
“Kelly is a respected veteran in the beauty industry, and in this rapidly changing environment, it is almost impossible to navigate without an expert on your team.”
— Michelle Ranavat
Founder & Ceo, Ranavat
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See what else she’s up to, plus get insights on the beauty retail landscape & what is actually driving growth right now.
Heidi wanderley
Heidi turns data into clear, actionable strategies that drive growth. With 20+ years across luxury retail and beauty, she has built a reputation grounded in energetic leadership, sharp business instincts, and the ability to drive results through both relationships and strategy. At Neiman Marcus, she secured multimillion-dollar vendor partnerships and led high-performing teams before crossing to the brand side with Natura Bisse to help scale the luxury skincare company across retail and e-commerce.
Her 360° perspective is rare. She understands how a buyer thinks and what a brand actually needs to execute. At KSJ Collective, she translates both into strategies grounded in numbers, guided by intuition, and built for the real decisions founders face.
- Loving mom
- Plant whisperer
- Handmade pottery enthusiast
- Excel nerd—shortcuts included
- Skincare maximalist
Beyond the Bio:
“Heidi is a true expert in wholesale and beauty space, with a rare ability to combine strategic thinking with creativity and innovative problem-solving.”
— Melissa Bramowitz
General Manager, North AMerica
Escentric Molecules
VP, Brand Partnerships, Strategy & Operations
Director of brand partnerships & retail
Kim Henney
Kim accelerates beauty brand growth by securing strategic retail partnerships with lasting impact. Her 20+ years of luxury retail experience — including Neiman Marcus and Camera Ready Cosmetics — provide a nuanced understanding of buyer behavior, retail strategy, and successful brand alignment.
Known for her hands-on approach, she is deeply invested in the brands she champions, backing every conversation with data-driven strategy, thoughtful positioning and market insight.
Founders trust Kim for her ability to cultivate genuine retail relationships that create long-term opportunities. Her high-retention client portfolio reflects a reputation built on trust and high performance.
- Cold Plunge Maven
- Wellness & Biohacking Enthusiast
- Orchid Obsessed
- Hockey Mom
- Beauty Lover, Always
“I've had various wholesale partners since starting my business and Kim is by far the most dedicated, diligent and effective.”
— Shannon davenport, founder & CEO, esker
Beyond the Bio:
Alex Drake
Alex unites standout brands and retailers through strategic partnerships that elevate competitive edge. With 25 years in buying, including 23 years in luxury at Neiman Marcus and 8 at Bergdorf Goodman, she has opened doors to the most highly reputable stores in the country.
Her instinct for what the market wants, before it fully arrives, is what makes her irreplaceable in this role. Alex pioneered KSJ Collective's market weeks in key cities including New York and Los Angeles, forging direct connections with the most sought-after independent retailers in the country. Her taste level and cultural fluency mean brands get positioned and placed with intention.
Director of brand partnerships & retail
“You all need an Alex in your retail life. Her energy is contagious. Her expertise is priceless.”
— Camille tard
Global sales director
manucurist
- Foodie & EREWHON Enthusiast
- Low-key funny, high-key observant
- City 🍎 girl at heart
- Deeply committed to giving back
Beyond the Bio:
- Boy Mom
- Makeup Artist
- Interior Design Enthusiast
- Pilates Devotee
- Beach Lover
- Eye Cream Evangelist
- Skincare Ritual Purist
Emily is a consumer experience & global education strategist who partners with the world's most iconic beauty & lifestyle brands, designing omni-channel blended learning strategies that move retail sales. She has worked with brands such as Christian Dior Parfums, Estée Lauder, Victoria Beckham Beauty & TOM FORD Beauty, turning consumer insights into curriculum, field training & digital learning that move the needle from NPS to conversion to revenue.
Her approach was shaped by over a decade at Estée Lauder & AERIN Beauty, where she built the company's first global tri-category service platform alongside Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux, translating artistry into scalable, sellable service experiences. She also helped launch Estée Lauder's first-ever global digital learning platform, foundational work that still shapes how she partners with brands today.
At KSJ Collective, Emily brings a practiced eye for mapping the full customer journey across retail, digital & DTC channels & partnering with product & marketing teams to turn education into a growth lever rather than a training exercise.
Beyond the Bio:
Director of Retail Sales, Education & Experience
Emily Swearingen
Ashley Hall
Ashley guides emerging brand CEOs through methodical planning for stable growth.
With over 20 years in the beauty industry, including more than 15 years with MAC and NARS, she has experience that spans nearly every national retailer. This provides a unique, firsthand perspective on brand positioning across various channels. She has successfully led both emerging and legacy brands through ideation, distribution, education, and sales strategies.
A (retired) volleyball coach at heart, Ashley has a rare ability to see ten steps ahead while clearly communicating a forward path of action. She turns complexity into a defined and refined direction that teams can own and execute. Brands that work with Ashley develop an understanding of core retail fundamentals and what it takes to sustain long-term momentum.
Director of brand development & Sales
“Ashley has the kind of contagious energy that makes you want to show up and build something great together, and she really gets our mission. She's warm, relationship-oriented, organized, and powerful in the support she brings to our team. I simply adore her. ”
— May Lindstrom,
founder & CEO
May Lindstrom Skincare
- Registered Yoga Teacher
- Vintage car/scooter collector
- Amateur surfer
- Lifetime student
- San Francisco community advocate
Beyond the Bio:
Executive Operations Assistant
Holly Dupuis
Holly is the organizational backbone of KSJ Collective. Her ability to anticipate needs and execute in a fast-paced environment is what allows the client-facing team to thrive.
With a background leading operational processes for startups, she brings a proven track record of keeping teams aligned, timelines on track, and no detail unmanaged. Every client engagement runs cleanly because of the infrastructure Holly builds and maintains around it.
- Pasta is her love language
- Dog obsessed
- Fair-weather golfer
- sunshine + good book = happy place
Beyond the Bio:
Jennifer Jeanneret
Jennifer shapes how KSJ Collective is positioned, communicated, and experienced in the market. She leads social media, PR, and communications for the collective, and was the creative and strategic force behind KSJ Collective's most recent rebrand and new website.
Drawing on 20+ years across luxury retail, technology, and design, she leads special projects that require both operational rigor and creative vision. Her experience at Neiman Marcus, Master's in Design and Merchandising, as well as teaching design at the university level, bridges creative vision with real-world execution, ensuring the work looks as strong as it performs.
Head of special projects
- OG Cali Girl
- Mama Bear
- Eats, breathes & sleeps branding
- Design-forward tastemaker
- Habit Stacker
Beyond the Bio:
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