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Joanna Griffiths

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Joanna Griffiths (born c. 1984)[1] is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and publicist. She is the founder and CEO of Knix Wear, Inc., a women's undergarment brand.[2][3]

Career

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Griffiths attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, graduating with a commerce degree.[4]

Griffiths began her career as a publicist for Universal Music Group and the Toronto International Film Festival, before attending INSEAD in France.[5] She graduated with her MBA in 2012.[3] The next year, Griffiths launched Knix with leak-proof underwear.[2] The company began selling wholesale, with Hudson's Bay as her brand's first retail partner. But in 2016, Griffiths pulled out of more than 700 North American retail spaces to focus on direct-to-consumer sales.[6][5] During the pandemic, she decided to expand the company and take on outside capital.[2] She experienced criticism from some investors who questioned her ability to lead her company while pregnant, and refused to accept money from any potential investors who doubted her.[7][8] She raised $53 million in March 2021, closing the funding round three days before giving birth to twin girls.[2][9][10] As of January 2022, Griffiths has opened up six brick-and-mortar Knix stores across North America.[11]

In November 2021, Griffiths, along with singer and doula Domino Kirke, released Life After Birth: Portraits of Love and the Beauty of Parenthood,[12] a book about the experiences of postpartum mothers featuring stories from parents like Ashley Graham and Amy Schumer.[13] Ahead of International Women's Day, in February 2022, Griffiths and Ashley Graham released Big. Strong. Woman. at the Adweek Challenger Brands Summit, a film focused on combating female stereotypes and highlighting female strength.[14][15][16]

In April 2022, Knix and American fashion designer Betsey Johnson collaborated to create a collection of intimates.[17]

Philanthropy

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Griffiths pledged $100,000 to Black Lives Matter in 2020, and also started a GoFundMe to raise money to supply personal protective equipment to Canadian hospitals.[3] Griffiths also partnered her brand with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, providing wire-free bras to female patients.[4]

Awards and accolades

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In 2018, Griffiths was named Women of Influence's Entrepreneur of the Year, and has also received the Retail Council of Canada's Marketing Innovation Award. She is the winner of RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Start-Up Award. Knix was named the sixth fastest growing company in Canada, and also was recognized as Strategy magazine's 2020 Brand of the Year.[18] Griffiths also won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 Ontario.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Age Doesn't Matter: a BTS with Joanna Griffiths". The Lift by Knix. March 10, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2022. 30 years from now I'll be 66 years old
  2. ^ a b c d "Canadian company Knix Wear raises $53 million while disqualifying investors who questioned CEO's pregnancy". CTVNews. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  3. ^ a b c Reid, Pauleanna. "Knix Founder And CEO Joanna Griffiths On Why Customer Alignment Is Key To Achieving Accelerated Growth". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  4. ^ a b Mastroianni, Julia (2018-02-12). "Joanna Griffiths on creating Knixwear and giving back to the community". Streets Of Toronto. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  5. ^ a b Harris, Rebecca (October 19, 2017). "How Joanna Griffiths is redefining the intimate apparel market". Canadian Business. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Bienaimé, Pierre (June 24, 2020). "Knix founder Joanna Griffiths: 'The next legacy brands are being created in real time'". Glossy. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Investors who questioned female empowerment had to go: Knix CEO, 2021-05-21, retrieved 2022-06-24
  8. ^ "Pregnant CEO's rule for raising money: Investors who doubt her abilities get cut". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  9. ^ Peters, Diane (2021-09-29). "How the stigma of maternity leave still holds women back". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  10. ^ Robertson, Susan Krashinsky; Silcoff, Sean (2021-05-18). "Toronto E-commerce company Knix Wear raises $53-million after CEO nixes involvement of any investor who questioned her pregnancy". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  11. ^ "How Knix Is Bringing Digital Strategy to Bricks-and-mortar". Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better. 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  12. ^ "Life After Birth: Portraits of Love and the Beauty of Parenthood | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  13. ^ "A Q&A on the Start of Motherhood With Joanna Griffiths and Domino Kirke-Badgley". Elle Canada. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  14. ^ Vecchiarelli, Samantha (2022-03-08). "Knix Releases New Brand Film: Big. Strong. Woman. -". Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  15. ^ Morgan, Jillian (2022-02-23). "Exclusive: Knix Drops A New Film With Model Ashley Graham". Fashion Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  16. ^ Houston, Melissa. "Big Strong Woman: Step Into The CEO Role Confidently". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  17. ^ Knix. "Knix and Betsey Johnson collaborate on the boldest and brightest collection". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  18. ^ "Joanna Griffiths". Leading Executive Search and Recruitment - Waterstone Human Capital. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  19. ^ "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Canada 2022 - Ontario finalists". www.ey.com. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
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