Tech Exec Becomes President Of Pinky Cole’s Slutty Vegan
Slutty Vegan founder and CEO Pinky Cole Hayes has appointed Lauren Maillian as president of the plant-based burger chain; Maillian joined the company on June 4, according to Black Enterprise.
With over 20 years of experience in the tech, food, and beverage sectors, Maillian sees this appointment as one of alignment: “This is also very personal for me… very synergistic with the life that I lead and allowing me to show up as Lauren Maillian wholly and fully in every part of my personal and professional life.”
Cole shared that this will be the first time she has had an all-woman staff. “Especially when I think about who I am to Black women entrepreneurs in America… I know it’s gonna be great,” she adds.
Maillian becomes Slutty Vegan President
Maillian and Cole first met in 2017 when they were both speaking at the John Hope Bryant Operation Hope conference. They reconnected again at Kim Blackwell’s ExcelerateHER event, with Cole saying, “It literally felt like business love at first sight.”
She told Maillian, “I need somebody who can come in and just be my right hand and really take the business to the next level.”
Maillian was beyond excited, “I remember even saying, like, ‘Can I invest? Is there room for me?’ I wanted to be a part of Pinky’s vision. I wanted to be a part of the way that she was lighting the industry on fire,” she said.
Cole explains Slutty Vegan’s plan to grow, explaining that its new plant-based sub concept is just the beginning. “We are reworking systems, stabilization is important right now… and then we get back into growth mode: CPG, hyper growth, scale, verticals. Now we’re putting it on steroids.”
Lauren Maillian’s career
Maillian is a consumer brand strategist, an award-winning marketer, a chief operating officer, and a technology startup investor and advisor. Her career began at 19 when she co-founded Sugarleaf Vineyards, a boutique winery that has since become an award-winning brand.
Maillian was the youngest self-made winery owner in the country and served as Chief Operating Officer until the brand’s acquisition in 2011.
She made history by becoming the first Black woman to start an early-stage venture capital fund at the age of 26. Her investment portfolio has grown to over $5 billion in market capitalization. She has advised and invested in over 40 startups, which have generated more than $200 million in revenue.
Image: Lauren Maillian
