FAIRFIELD, Ohio, March 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC, or the Company), one of the world’s largest providers of private DNA testing services, has named Connie Hallquist as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective immediately.
Hallquist is a veteran CEO and entrepreneur. Prior to joining DDC, Hallquist served as President of Healthy Directions, a business unit of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ: HELE). She joined Healthy Directions, LLC in 2010 as Executive Vice President, Merchandising and New Product Development, and became CEO in 2012. Earlier, Hallquist served as President, New Business Ventures, for the $1 billion catalog holding company Orchard Brands. In 2007, Orchard Brands acquired Gold Violin, a multi-channel retailer offering helpful products for independent living, which Hallquist founded in 2000. Prior to Gold Violin, Hallquist served as Managing Director at Prophet, a brand strategy consulting firm, where she oversaw flagship clients including Audi, Levi Strauss & Co., Williams-Sonoma and UBS. Early in her career, Hallquist worked in brand management at Kraft Foods. She holds a BA in French Language & Literature from the University of Virginia and an MBA degree from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Connie Hallquist, President and CEO of DNA Diagnostics Center, commented: “I am thrilled to be joining DNA Diagnostics Center. The company is a market leader in the DNA testing industry, which is an exciting category with tremendous growth potential. I look forward to working with DDC’s scientists and business leaders, as well as our new investors, to leverage my experience in building brands to grow DDC as a consumer-driven DNA testing company.”
Mike Mortimer, Partner at GHO Capital, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Peter Vitulli for his significant leadership as CEO over the past five years in delivering strong growth and identifying new market segments for DDC. We welcome Connie to the team and very much look forward to her influence and perspective as we continue to support the company through its next phase of growth.”
About DDC
DDC is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Founded 20 years ago, and with offices in Fairfield (Ohio) and London (United Kingdom), DDC offers comprehensive DNA testing for paternity and family relationships, forensics, genetic traits of animals, cell line authentication, and ancestry. DDC’s Dual Process ensures all collected DNA samples are independently tested twice producing legal results of unmatched quality and reliability. DDC is recognized through a number of accreditations nationally and internationally including those performed by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), The Ministry of Justice, and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). DDC is also accredited by ACLASS to meet the standards of ISO 17025 and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board-International and follows the DNA Advisory Board (DAB) guidelines, which attests to DDC’s superior forensic testing service. For more information, please visit www.dnacenter.com.
In 2015, DDC was acquired by specialist healthcare investor GHO Capital who will support the future development of the company.
About GHO Capital
Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, was founded in 2014 as a specialist healthcare investment adviser based in London. Its vision is to apply global capabilities and perspectives to build a world-class healthcare specialist private equity firm by recognizing and seizing the highly attractive and under-penetrated European market opportunity. GHO Capital has a powerful combination of transaction, investment and industry skills which sets it apart from traditional private equity firms. For further information, please visit www.ghocapital.com.
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SOURCE DNA Diagnostics Center
