Who We Are
ACV Consulting is a strategic partner dedicated to helping brands grow. Led by Founder Aaron Carpenter and a team of executives from iconic global brands, we offer the fractional leadership, insights, and guidance you need to bridge the gap between big ideas and day-to-day operations. Our work is rooted in the pillars of Leadership, Innovation, and Purpose, an ethos we use to keep brands true to their authentic identity while driving measurable results.
Leadership
Aaron Carpenter
Founder + CEO
- Global Fractional Executive
- Brand Strategy Expert
- Scale & Growth Strategist
Aaron Carpenter is a career-defining marketer known for transforming heritage brands into high-performance financial engines. As the former VP of Global Marketing at The North Face, Aaron executed the playbook that grew the company from $1 billion to $2 billion in revenue over just five years. His approach provides the quantitative evidence required by private equity firms and growth-stage boards, proving that brand equity is a direct driver of top-line growth. At Levi Strauss, he led digital transformation, launching and building LeviStraussSignature.com to achieve $200M in revenue in three years. Aaron specializes in helping established brands navigate the complex transition from "product companies" to "lifestyle icons" in the US market.
Retail
Christopher Peak
Principal + SVP of Retail Development
- Innovating the Future of Physical/Digital Commerce
- Global Fractional Leadership
- Operational Architect of the "Apple Standard"
Christopher Peak is a renowned leader in retail development, bringing the rigorous discipline of Apple Retail Design to the world’s most ambitious brands. As a Principal at ACV Consulting, Christopher does not merely design spaces; he engineers the operational backbone of profitable physical commerce. His expertise is grounded in the intellectual property and financial precision of the world's most successful retailer, offering clients a blueprint to transform their physical footprint into a high-efficiency asset rather than a liability. For brands expanding into new markets, Christopher provides the critical frameworks necessary to execute a flagship strategy that balances high-impact aesthetics with uncompromising financial performance.roles that help brands transform at key inflection points.figure in global lifestyle marketing.
Digital
Darshaun Nadeau
Principal + Digital Architecture/Global Strategist
- Digital Infrastructure Design
- AI/SEO Innovator
- Global Digital Strategy
Darshaun Nadeau provides the foundational stability required for any modern enterprise to scale globally. He founded Solis, which grew to become Japan’s third-largest domain registration company before its strategic acquisition by the internet giant GMO Internet. While ACV’s other principals focus on the physical and emotional aspects of commerce, Darshaun secures the "digital bedrock." For brands entering the high-traffic US market, he ensures that the technical infrastructure is not merely functional, but robust enough to support rapid scale, protecting the brand's uptime and security as rigorous assets rather than IT afterthoughts.
Sabrina Lafosse
Director + Digital Marketing & E-commerce Development
- Digital Analytics
- Digital Strategy
- Tech Stack & Systems Design
Sabrina Lafosse is a 20-year digital operator turned strategic force multiplier. As the architect of ACV Consulting’s proprietary Digital Growth Audit, she dissects competitive ecosystems with surgical precision, transforming raw data from paid media, tech stacks, and omnichannel funnels into clear, profit-focused playbooks. Having led digital and e-commerce at Giro, Royal Robbins, and ThinOptics, Sabrina sees the hidden revenue levers most agencies miss and delivers the exact intelligence brands need to dominate the North American digital shelf.
Ian Dewar
Strategic Advisor | Loyalty Ecosystems & Customer Intelligence
- Email & Retention Analysis
- Paid Social & Content Strategy
- Strategic Roadmapping
Ian Dewar is one of the world’s foremost authorities on turning emotional brand affinity into measurable, recurring revenue. Recognized as a Top 50 Analytics Leader by Drexel University, Ian designs loyalty ecosystems and customer intelligence engines that keep high-value customers for life. From architecting The North Face’s groundbreaking VIPeak program to leading global strategy at Anthropologie, Ian proves that the future of retention isn’t discounts; it’s predictive, experience-driven relevance. At ACV Consulting, he builds the scientific systems that answer the ultimate question: “Now that they love the brand, how do we make them never leave?”shelf.
Account Direction
Erika Carpenter
Director + Client Success
- Client & Account Services
- Project Management
- Brand Identity
- Content Structure + Development
Erika Carpenter serves as the operational anchor of ACV Consulting, bringing over 35 years of executive experience to her role as Director of Client Success. While the digital and retail teams focus on technical analysis and strategy, Erika is the force that ensures these complex engagements flow seamlessly from intake to delivery.
Her leadership style is defined by a unique blend of high-level executive strategy and "in-the-trenches" composure—traits forged during her time as a professional river guide and wilderness EMT. This high-stakes background has made her the team’s "calm, cool collaborator," capable of navigating tight deadlines and complex client needs with the same steady hand she once used to manage swift-water rescues.
Beyond her operational role, Erika is a seasoned entrepreneur with a deep commitment to mission-driven business. Before joining ACV, she founded several sustainability companies (TerraMai, Elemental Republic) and an international non-profit organization (Village Responder), spending decades working at the intersection of social equity and educational development (Green School, Bali). This entrepreneurial DNA allows her to deeply understand the pressures ACV’s clients face—she knows firsthand what it takes to build a brand that must balance profit with purpose.
Her work challenges brands to narrow their focus to broaden their impact, a philosophy that deeply informs how ACV structures its client engagements. At ACV, she leverages her diverse background to ensure that every audit is not just a collection of data, but a structured, actionable path forward for the client.
Our Team
Candice Collison
DIGITAL TEAM
Marketing + Ecommerce
Digital Growth Strategy + Digital Commerce Strategy
Candice Collison is a marketing and e-commerce consultant with nearly two decades of experience leading growth for global and emerging brands. A former Meta and Google executive, CMO of Mightly, Inc., and founder of two sustainability-focused DTC brands, she helps businesses scale through full-funnel marketing, storytelling, and digital commerce strategy. Candice earned her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and teaches marketing and brand strategy as an Adjunct Professor at Aurora University.
Emma Houghton
DIGITAL TEAM
Lead Digital Strategist
Digital Strategy + Brand Management
Emma Houghton is a digital strategist with over 12 years of experience across global brands, agencies, and start-ups, including Lululemon, Peloton, Edelman, and Alpha Foods. She brings a diverse background across all areas of digital marketing, from content strategy to paid media, and is passionate about bridging creative and analytical thinking to build impactful digital strategies.
Seth Bradbury
BRAND TEAM
Brand Expert
Interim CMO + Brand Strategy
Seth’s career started in the early years of Red Bull where, for over 15 years, he led local, regional, and national teams to win the youth consumer. He led national and international cross-functional teams to ensure quality execution across social, digital, retail, and advertising. In addition, he was the driver behind the community activation program for some of the brand’s largest tentpole initiatives.
As a consultant Seth has continued to refine his approach to brand strategy supporting F100 brands, CPG and lifestyle brands, startups, celebrities, and agencies shaping their long-term planning, communications, activation, and organizational design.
Ida Tam
RETAIL TEAM
Architect
Digital Productions + Renderings
A New York-based licensed Architect with over 13 years of experience, Ida has published and practiced architecture internationally. Working on high-profile and award-winning projects in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and throughout the United States, specializing in ground-up new construction, interior design, and building information modeling. Ida’s work has been recognized and published by institutions such as the Guardian (UK), BBC (UK), Architect’s Journal (UK), Architecture Magazine (US), and the American Institute of Architects Design Awards. Academically, her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and she is also the author of the book Reconsidering Authenticity: Computational Approach to the Preservation of Siheyuan in Beijing.
Aimee Spence
RETAIL TEAM
Architect
Store Development + Planning
Aimee Spence is a licensed architect with over 25 years of experience working in retail architecture. Starting her career at Gensler as a project manager, Aimee went on to 8 years at Sephora USA as Director of Architecture & Store Planning, and then 7 years at Gap Inc. as Director of Architecture. Aimee works with retailers to roll out new stores and remodels in keeping with their brand identity. Putting the customer experience at the center of retail development, she collaborates with designers and visual merchandisers to create clear merchandise stories with the flexibility to evolve.
Anh Tran
RETAIL TEAM
Architect
Retail Design Systems + Visual Concepting
Anh Tran is a designer and interdisciplinary design-thinker. Trained as an architect, Anh has developed physical brands from concept ideation through execution for early-stage companies. She has implemented mature design systems at a regional and national scale. Her work varies in medium and scale ranging from objects, multi-media installations, environments, and architecture. Previously, Anh has worked for Google, WeWork, Better Place Forests, Snøhetta, OMA/Rem Koolhaas, and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Anh has a degree in Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Architecture from Cornell University with Merit and Distinction in Design. She is a registered architect based in San Francisco.
Doug Marks
RETAIL TEAM
Industrial Design
Configuration + Production + Prototyping
Well-versed in industrial design and material science Doug is the founder of 37 Fabricators, a high-end production house managing industrial fabrications from concepting to mock-ups and delivery. He and his team of craftsman and artisan cohorts have produced large-scale experiential marketing installations, fully custom interior retail design build-outs, and museum-quality architectural sculptures.
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