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MEET THE MGM TEAM
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ANDREA CID
FOUNDER AND CEO
Originally from Santiago, Chile, Andrea has lived in 11 cities and is thrilled to call Miami her permanent home. After a successful career in real estate and banking, working for companies based in Latin America, the US, UK, and Asia, Andrea moved to Miami to be closer to family. Together with her brother, she started her first business, Cid Botanicals.
In 2016 the family purchased Concept II Cosmetics, a bath and body manufacturer in Doral. During lockdown, Andrea launched Miami Growth Machine, a manufacturing incubator for CPG startups. Working with entrepreneurs, Andrea is passionate about building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Miami, where founders of all backgrounds can thrive.
Andrea has a degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from The Wharton School. She previously served on the board of Calm Clarity, a mental health social impact organization, and is a founding member of the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs South Florida Chapter. She enjoys cafecito, hiking, diving (in warm water only), and spin classes with fellow board member, Brigette.
MEET
OUR
TEAM
DIANA BEMMEL
OPERATIONS
As the head of operations at Miami Growth Machine, Diana ensures
that the daily operations at the office run smoothly and that our
clients get the best customer experience they deserve.
Diana has an extensive background in Administration and Customer
Service. Prior to joining Miami Growth Machine, she worked for many
years in higher education at two public universities in Florida, where
she supported deans, respectively at a Medical School and a
College of Engineering and Computing.
Born in Suriname (The only Dutch-speaking country in South America),
Diana enjoys the diverse and multi-cultural vibe Miami has to offer,
because it reminds her so much of her home country. In her spare
time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, shopping,
and music.
MADELAINE ESCOBAR DURÁN
HEAD CHEMIST
Madelaine is a Head Chemist at Miami Growth Machine with extensive experience in the cosmetics, fragrance and manufacturing industries. She is an expert in formulating a wide range of skin, hair and consumer packaged goods, with a deep understanding of stability testing, international standards of quality, health, and the environment, as well as packaging and vendor selection.
As an Industrial Chemical Engineer in Chile, Madelaine was responsible for managing laboratories at Marvelkleen Chemical SpA and Carlos Cramer Products Aromatics. There she focused on fragrances for cosmetics, development of ISO 9001 and GMP procedures, as well as training production staff on quality control. During the pandemic, she started a formulation company targeting natural product development for cosmetics entrepreneurs.
Originally from Santiago, Chile, Madelaine has a degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering from INACAP, in addition to a degree in Extractive Metallurgy from Liceo Politécnico Pablo Rodríguez Cabiedes.
Madelaine enjoys traveling, visiting Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, and running. She previously lived in Sydney and Perth where she also enjoyed the Australian beaches and lifestyle.
PATRICIA VALERA
HEAD OF STRATEGY
Patricia Valera has worked with some of the most successful and influential beauty companies in the world, including Kenzo Parfums (LVMH), Redken, Keratin Complex, and Hairfinity. With over 20 years of diversified experience, she is an expert at spotting emerging trends, creating original brand concepts and executing highly impactful campaigns. Patricia is on a mission to create a space where indie beauty founders at any stage could easily find the resources and knowledge they need to help them create phenomenally successful brands and products.
LUIS ALBERTO ESCORCIA
HEAD BLENDER
Born in Barranquilla Colombia, Luis finished his bachelor’s degree at
Calixto Leiva in the city of Barranquilla. He traveled to the United
States at the age of 23 in search of better economic stability, and to
help his family.
Luis is father to four children and the fifth child out of eight siblings.
He loves nature, and his favorite hobbies are fishing and going to the
beach.
Currently, Luis works as our Head Blender and leads our warehouse
team. His favorite music is salsa and baladas románticas. His
passion for soccer is evident, and you can see him in his team’s
fútbol jersey whenever they play.
DAYMÉ BRITO
HEAD OF PRODUCTION
As head of production at Concept II Cosmetics, Daymé leads a
team of about ten people who fill clients’ orders and conduct
thorough quality control. Daymé has been working with our sister
company (Concept II Cosmetics) since 2010, where she learned
everything about cosmetics manufacturing. She is a quick thinker and can solve issues that come her way effortlessly.
In 2008, she moved to the United States from Havana, Cuba, where
she was born and raised and where she earned a degree in
Education, Accounting and Finance.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time
with her daughters and grandchildren.
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BRIGETTE LUMPKINS
BOARD OF DIRECTOR
Brigette is a Client Portfolio Manager at Bivium Westfuller, a multi-racial, gender diverse, independent and objective investment advisory and wealth management firm. She is a strategic business development executive with a successful 25-year track record of growing top line revenue by enhancing existing relationships and new business acquisition. Brigette has covered both institutional and private clients, addressing complex investment management challenges through a creative and collaborative approach. She began her finance career at Lehman and Barclays where she marketed European equity research, transactions, and corporate access to buy side portfolio managers. Brigette raised capital for private equity fund of funds Hamilton Lane before joining Goldman Sachs where she managed investment portfolios for ultra-high net worth private clients.
Brigette is passionate about social equity; she hosts an online financial education show focused on closing the racial wealth gap. She is also active in various professional organizations including the Women’s Association of Venture and Equity and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association.
A proud graduate of Spelman College, she is devoted to encouraging Black students to attend HBCUs and alumni to give to their alma maters until it hurts. She earned her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Brigette, a native of Washington, DC, loves traveling, fitness, documentaries, reality tv, reading, word puzzles, and dogs.
AMBIKA PATNI
BOARD OF DIRECTOR
A veteran of the world's top beauty and lifestyle companies, Ambika
Patni has over 15 years of experience in marketing, brand strategy,
and retail. Most recently, she was the Chief Marketing Officer and
Co-Founder of a clean skincare startup, Lightwater Biosciences. She
developed the full launch plan and branding for the start-up’s first
line of products and brought marketing and strategy expertise,
industry knowledge, and a vast network to a science-based project.
Prior to Lightwater, Ambika was the Executive Director, Global
Strategy & Business Initiatives at Jo Malone London (part of Estée
Lauder Companies).
Ambika has also worked in marketing at M.A.C Cosmetics and Estée
Lauder, all based in New York.
Ambika holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA from
Harvard University. She resides in Boston with her husband and two
children.
MADELEINE THAKUR
BOARD OF DIRECTOR
Madeleine Thakur is president of The Children’s Movement of Florida.
She oversees all outreach and communications efforts, including the business engagement initiative Bosses for Babies, and leads state-
level policy efforts aimed at increasing investment in high-quality early learning, health care for children, and parent support.
Madeleine serves on the steering committee for the Florida
Chamber’s Business Alliance for Early Learning and the leadership
table for Orange County’s “Becoming a K-Ready Community”
initiative. Before joining The Movement in September 2017, she spent
nearly a decade focused on economic and social development in
Latin America and the Caribbean, working closely with senior
executives in the legal, tech, consumer goods, and financial sectors.
A Miami native and one of five children, Madeleine was raised trilingual (English, Spanish, French) and is a proud graduate of Miami-
Dade County Public Schools. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Chicago and a diploma from Sciences Po in
Paris.
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