Mintel Group has named Katie Gross as the vice president of its Beauty and Personal Care division for the U.S. and Canada, based in Chicago. This new position will report to Jane Henderson, global president of the Beauty and Personal Care division.

As vice president of America and Canada, Gross will direct the published and custom business. Her wide-ranging experience includes the beauty industry, as well as consumer research. She rejoins Mintel from Toluna, the largest global online panel company, where she managed a large sales team, pioneered new methodologies relating to online qualitative and quantitative research, as well as many other development initiatives.

For the three years prior to her four-year tenure at Toluna, Gross held an increasingly responsible position at Mintel within the custom research department, managing board-level projects and key accounts.

Before joining Mintel initially, she worked in marketing for many established brands.

“We are delighted to welcome back Katie,” commented Jane Henderson, global president. “Katie will bring a tremendous skill base and energy to the role. Our new product ‘link’ has raised the bar and is now the leading industry standard in Beauty research; helping our clients answer what is next. We have experienced Katie’s professionalism in her last employment with Mintel, therefore we are no stranger to her determination to do a great job for our clients.”

Gross commented, “I am looking forward to embracing the challenges and opportunities existing within the U.S. region. It is already great to be back at Mintel, with such amazing new products.”