Byrna Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: BYRN) (CSE: BYRN) today announced that Luan Pham has been named Chief Marketing Officer, effective January 18, 2021. In this newly created role, Mr. Pham will report directly to Bryan Ganz, Byrna's Chief Executive Officer, and will have global responsibility for developing and implementing integrated marketing programs aimed at building brand awareness and increasing demand for the Company's flagship self-defense product, the Byrna HD, and the numerous new innovations in Byrna's R&D pipeline.
"We are fortunate to have been able to hire such an experienced and accomplished marketing professional as Luan," said Bryan Ganz. "Over the course of his 25-year career, he has not only been a marketing executive with some of the world's most recognized brands, including Condé Nast and Ralph Lauren, but is largely credited with building the Laird Superfood brand from the ground up, leading to the company's highly successful initial public offering in September 2020. While demand for Byrna's products has increased rapidly over the past year, as evidenced by our strong revenue growth through the past several quarters and our expectations for continued robust improvement in financial results for 2021, we believe we have only scratched the surface in terms of global awareness of our brand. Luan's background and expertise in implementing sophisticated marketing campaigns that have delivered measurable KPIs make him uniquely qualified to help us make great progress in this regard. On behalf of our entire management team and our Board, I'd like to welcome Luan to Byrna."
"I am very excited to become part of the Byrna team," stated Mr. Pham. "The Byrna HD is emerging as the leader in the less-lethal movement given the multitude of problems it solves relative to other less-lethal self-defense devices. As a father and a citizen, I am drawn to the significant positive societal impact Byrna has the potential to make. I feel a strong personal connection to the company's mission of promoting safety and security for both everyday consumers and their families, as well as law enforcement and security officers, in a manner that allows them to defend themselves without the burden of potentially taking a life."
Mr. Pham continued, "Thanks to a solid digital presence and favorable media attention, Byrna's brand recognition has been on a steep upward trajectory. I believe that we can build on this momentum and greatly accelerate this trend through integrated marketing programs featuring custom content, social media, retail marketing, and consumer events, among other strategies. Innovation is an integral part of Byrna's DNA, as reflected by the features of the Byrna HD and the company's growing pipeline of new products. Our goal in 2021 and beyond will be to establish a global branding and marketing effort as innovative as the Company's life-saving less-lethal solutions."
About Luan Pham
Luan is a multifaceted marketing executive with more than 25 years of experience collaborating with some of the world's largest brands. Most recently, from 2017 to 2020 he was the Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer of Laird Superfood, Inc., a creator of plant-based food products, where he developed brand go-to-market strategies across a broad range of sales channels. Over the course of his tenure with Laird, Luan was a major contributor to the company's explosive revenue growth over the period, and its $400 million equity valuation upon its successful IPO in September 2020.
Prior to Laird, Luan was Head of Marketing for Condé Nast's Golf Digest from 2012 to 2017. In this capacity, he led 360 marketing efforts across Golf Digest brands in print, digital, mobile, social media, and high-profile events. Before he became Head of Marketing, Luan was Golf Digest's Director of Integrated Marketing from 2007 to 2011 where he managed the national golf equipment category, working intimately with brands such as Nike, TaylorMade, Toyota and Apple. During his ten years with Condé Nast, Luan's contributions earned him multiple awards including the 2016 National Addy Award, the 2015 Golf Digest Brands "Marketer of the Year" Award, 2009 Golf World "Marketer of the Year" Award and 2008 Golf Digest "Marketer of the Year" Award, among others. Between his two roles at Condé Nast, Luan was Senior Director of Marketing for Golf and Tennis at Ralph Lauren from 2011 to 2012. There he contributed to double-digit sales growth in the category and was responsible for consumer brand experiences at high profile golf and tennis championship tournaments. Luan began his career at Kiplinger's Personal Finance where, from 1996 to 2007, he served in sales and marketing roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Sales Development Director. Over the course of his tenure with the publication, he received Kiplinger's "Marketing Excellence" Award for his accomplishments, which included the launch of Kiplinger's Podcasting initiative and online media kit platform.
Luan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University, Fullerton.
About Byrna Technologies Inc.
Byrna is an emerging non-lethal technology company, specializing in the development and manufacture of innovative less lethal equipment and munitions. For more information on the Company, please visit the corporate website here or the Company's investor relations site here. The Company is the manufacturer of the Byrna®HD personal security device, which looks to be the leading choice in the consumer and private security markets for non-lethal home protection, personal safety, and security.
About the Byrna® HD
The Byrna HD is a handheld, CO2 powered, non-lethal option for home safety and personal security with the form factor of a compact handgun. It provides a safety zone of 60 feet and comes with multiple easily reloadable magazines that can hold five .68 caliber hard kinetic rounds or highly effective payload rounds designed to burst on impact. Payload rounds include the Company's proprietary chemical irritant and pepper rounds designed to burn an assailant's eyes and respiratory system upon contact.
