Irish-based smart kitchen company Fresco has appointed former Fitbit executive Joanne Savage as its new chief marketing officer, strengthening its executive team as it targets further expansion in the smart home market.
The company, which was formerly known as Drop, offers a neutral platform to connect smart kitchen appliances. It partners with appliance companies such as Instant Brands, Kenwood, Bosch, Electrolux, GE Appliances and Panasonic, and launched its cross-brand operating system KitchenOS last year. It is now focusing on growing its reach, and adding new partners.
“Everyone can relate to the joy of having cooked the perfect meal. As an avid cook myself, I’m energised by Fresco’s dedication to making our lives better as home cooks,” said Ms Savage.
“Developing practical and innovative solutions that unlock the joy of cooking for people around the world is a truly inspiring mission.”
Ms Savage has more than 25 years of experience in consumer goods, telecommunications, wearables, and the smart home, beginning her career with Unilever, to her most recent role as Europe, Middle East, and Africa marketing director for wearables company Fitbit.
“As demand for the smart kitchen grows and more appliance brands enter the market, it’s essential that customers understand what their devices are capable of, and what they’re able to achieve through connected cooking – no matter their skill level or how much time they have to cook,” said Ben Harris, co-founder and chief executive of Fresco.
“Promoting Fresco’s mission and the smart cooking experiences that brands on our KitchenOS platform are delivering will ultimately elevate the overall category and draw more people into the smart kitchen. Joanne’s impressive skill set and passion for cooking make her the perfect person for this leadership role, and we’re thrilled to welcome her on to the team.”
Cofounded by Mr Harris, Jack Phelan, Jonny McCauley and Tim Redfern in 2012, Fresco developed its own smart scale, the Drop scale, before developing a dedicated platform to connect appliance manufacturers, recipe publishers and food stores together.
It launched the operating system, KitchenOS, last year, offering a seamless cooking experience for connected appliances, making the appliances easier to use and reducing the fragmentation in the smart kitchen sector.
The platform that can be integrated into appliances, allowing users to combine the capabilities of connected appliances and access any appliance using the platform, regardless of brand, through their Fresco account on their interface of choice, from smartphones and appliance screens to smart speakers and smart home assistants.
- Sign up for Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
