Sharon Fordham
Encyclopedia
Sharon Fordham is an American Broadway theatrical producer
, entrepreneur
, venture capitalist, and angel investor
.
Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities
' opening for preview on August 19, 2008 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
in New York.
In addition to her work as a Broadway producer, Sharon is an angel investor and Principal of The Fordham Group, an early investment company focusing on investments in the technology area.
Previously, she was CEO and board member of WeightWatchers.com, Inc., Recently, WeightWatchers.com was bought by the licensor, Weight Watchers International.
Prior to her time as CEO of WeightWatchers.com, Sharon held several executive positions at Nabisco
, including President of Global e-Business, President of the LifeSavers Company (Nabisco subsidiary) and Senior Vice President of marketing for Nabisco's flagship division, the Nabisco Biscuit Company.
While at Nabisco, Sharon pioneered the emerging advertising genre of "advergaming
", with the launch of Nabisco's industry-leading gaming web sites, Candystand.com and Nabiscoworld.com. Candystand.com was deemed so innovative and successful, it was ultimately rendered into a Harvard case study. Sharon also led Nabisco's entry into e-Commerce with the 2000 launch of NabiscoGifts.com.
Other notable accomplishments include the development and introduction of several new products that are now household names, such as Ritz Bits, Teddy Grahams, SnackWell's, Ice Breakers gum and Creme Savers candy. These were all selected as "New Products of the Year" by several industry-leading organizations, such as the American Marketing Association and Business Week.
and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania
.
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, venture capitalist, and angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
.
Overview
Sharon is a producer of Jill Santoriello'sJill Santoriello
Jill Santoriello is an American musician, composer, lyricist, and author. She is a self-taught musician whose award winning first musical A Tale of Two Cities was an Outer Critics Circle Award nominee for Outstanding New Musical in 2009.Santoriello was born in Summit, New Jersey and grew up in...
Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (musical)
A Tale of Two Cities is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens....
' opening for preview on August 19, 2008 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 302 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect G. Albert Lansburgh for vaudeville promoter Martin Beck, the theatre opened as the Martin Beck Theatre with a production of Madame Pompadour on November 11, 1924. It...
in New York.
In addition to her work as a Broadway producer, Sharon is an angel investor and Principal of The Fordham Group, an early investment company focusing on investments in the technology area.
Previously, she was CEO and board member of WeightWatchers.com, Inc., Recently, WeightWatchers.com was bought by the licensor, Weight Watchers International.
Prior to her time as CEO of WeightWatchers.com, Sharon held several executive positions at Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
, including President of Global e-Business, President of the LifeSavers Company (Nabisco subsidiary) and Senior Vice President of marketing for Nabisco's flagship division, the Nabisco Biscuit Company.
While at Nabisco, Sharon pioneered the emerging advertising genre of "advergaming
Advergaming
Advergaming is the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization or viewpoint. The term "advergames" was coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis, and later mentioned by Wireds "Jargon Watch" column in 2001...
", with the launch of Nabisco's industry-leading gaming web sites, Candystand.com and Nabiscoworld.com. Candystand.com was deemed so innovative and successful, it was ultimately rendered into a Harvard case study. Sharon also led Nabisco's entry into e-Commerce with the 2000 launch of NabiscoGifts.com.
Other notable accomplishments include the development and introduction of several new products that are now household names, such as Ritz Bits, Teddy Grahams, SnackWell's, Ice Breakers gum and Creme Savers candy. These were all selected as "New Products of the Year" by several industry-leading organizations, such as the American Marketing Association and Business Week.
Education
Sharon earned a bachelor's degree from Douglass College at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.