Catherine Cason is an experienced retail executive with a focus on the cosmetics industry, fine jewelry, and apparel. Most recently, as a merchant at Sephora, she managed a series of brand portfolios in the makeup industry. Over the course of her tenure, her portfolio evolved to include start-ups, niche brands and large industry players that targeted both the mass and prestige beauty markets.

Catherine has a keen sense for organic beauty trends and for industry strategy and evolution. Her research has helped identify new brands that have grown from launch to eight and nine-figure annual sales, becoming some of the fastest growing new brands in the industry. She also has deep experience helping established brands drive organic growth. In particular, she has guided brands in their use of social media to launch new products and grow sales. Over the course of her tenure, Catherine has managed brands and products across the value chain from initial development, to launch, to in-store presentation and online marketing.

Prior to Sephora, Catherine worked in merchandising for Levi Strauss & Co and The North Face. She is currently the founder and editor of Gem Hunt, an online media platform for fine jewelry.