Laurie Ann Goldman, who helped turn Spanx into a global powerhouse as CEO before moving on to run Avon and Tupperware, is now CEO of Audien Hearing. In an exclusive interview with Fortune ahead of today’s announcement, the veteran brand builder talked about her plans to scale the over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid brand, currently used by more than 1.5 million customers.
For Goldman, the key to tapping into the 1.5 billion people who experience issues with hearing loss is to destigmatize hearing aids by promoting the wellness benefits. “I’ve been calling it building the ‘Great Un-Mumbling’,” she said, pointing to research like a landmark Johns Hopkins study that found even mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk. “Getting people earlier into these products is really important.”
