MARKETPLACE
John Replogle
S
eventh Generation is arguably one of the most recognizable missiondriven brands in the world. The company makes a wide range of products, from household cleaners to diapers to body wash, all with the mission of inspiring “a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations.” The company has expanded to over $250 million in annual sales, all while remaining private and staying true to its core values. In contrast to similar brands in its field, the company has taken a different approach to scaling its impact. Rather than focusing on being acquired by a larger, multinational brand, Seventh Generation has opted to create its own social venture arm, Seventh Generation Ventures, to begin acquiring smaller brands to help them scale their own impact. We had a chance to sit down with John Replogle, President and CEO, to discuss this innovative new direction for his company, the collaborative economy, and broken public markets. Could you talk about the beginning of your career and your transition to Burt’s Bees and then to Seventh Generation? John Replogle: Starting earlier in my career, I had the great opportunity to lead Guinness both in the UK and the US. I was already a bit deeper into my career and really looking at my life. I had kind of the perfect life, in a way. I had a wife and two young daughters, living in a nice home in Connecticut, running Guinness beer, and, at the same time, was working on my personal mission. If I had to borrow a term from one of my great mentors, Ray
Anderson, I had a “spear in the chest moment.” It occurred to me that what I’d been on was a self-endeavor that was all about moving myself forward; but what was I doing for the world around me and, in particular, for my daughters’ world? What would they inherit, and how was I creating value and benefit to make their world a better, safer place? I remember it like it was yesterday. It was at that moment that I realized I needed to change my career. Within a few months, I had left Guinness and moved to Unilever. It was there that I got to work with some great colleagues on the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, where we really thought deeply about the stereotypes of what beauty is and the SUMMER 2015
| 47