Gwen Whiting is a category innovator across the retail, luxury and clothing care industries. In 2002, Whiting had a vision to create a premium, eco-friendly laundry and home cleaning brand. She got The Laundress off the ground, not by traditional fundraising, but by throwing a grassroots fundraising party, aptly named The Soap Splash. Whiting’s creativity and innovative nature enabled her to build and scale the brand so much over the next 17 years that she grew the business into a household brand name, eventually selling it to Unilever in 2019.
Whiting credits her success to the fact that she puts her heart, soul and an incredible amount of perseverance into everything she does.Her journey hasn’t been easy - like many entrepreneurs, she has applied grit, struggle, and risk behind her accomplishments. But that never deterred her commitment to excellence as she built her brands. Today, she’s real, raw and honest about the obstacles she faced along her journey.
Whiting’s early career spanned fashion, retail and media, including five years at Ralph Lauren Home. She credits those early days, which felt so full of excitement and potential, as one of the reasons she’s so passionate about mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs. Whiting has taken on advisory and mentorship roles with organizations that support founders along the various stages of their journeys. She connects with these founders within her various communities, including her alma mater Cornell’s Entrepreneurship Council, The Entreprenistas, YPO’s Global Leadership Community, among others.
A creative at heart, Whiting feeds her spirit with reading, wellness, and global adventures.
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