Ada Polla

Ada Polla is the co-creator of the Swiss antioxidant skin care line Alchimie Forever. She launched this high end line of 17 products in the US in 2004 and has expanded her company’s global visibility and distribution during the past 6 years. Her strategic focus and implementation have yielded double-digit annual revenue growth for the company. She has secured partnerships with exclusive spas, specialty boutiques, and cosmetic dermatologists (US, Switzerland, France), as well as with Sephora (Singapore) and QVC. Ms. Polla has professional consulting experience (DiamondCluster International) and product management expertise in the medical device industry (Candela Corporation). Her community involvement ranges from entrepreneurial ventures (she is on the board of DC Coalition for Capital and involved in NFTE) to artistic interests (through a partnership with CityArts). Furthermore, Ms. Polla serves as a committee member of the International Spa Association, contributes to numerous magazines, and frequents leading universities and industry conferences as a guest speaker. Ms. Polla was featured on the a recent cover of Business Week Small Biz and was a nominee for the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award for Entrepreneur Magazine. Ms. Polla is also the founder of the Network of Entrepreneurial Women (www.new-women.org), an association for women entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ms. Polla graduated in the top 5% of her MBA class at Georgetown University in 2004. She majored in art history and political science at Harvard University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999.