March 6th – The Spearhead Group, a global packaging and Physical Brand Enhancement™ company with headquarters in Yardley, Pennsylvania has announced a global expansion led by four women in the USA, Mexico, Italy and India. A certified women-owned business, Spearhead USA is led by Co-founder Heather Fritzsche, CEO, and will be a model for the new independent businesses and their owners: Patricia Burguete, Owner & Founder of Spearhead Mexico, Giovanna Pinna, Owner & Founder of Spearhead Italy and Pooja Sikand, Owner & Founder of Spearhead India. The Spearhead Group has set a global precedent for an all-women ownership team that shares a commitment to promote core values of innovation, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion. This newly formed global team of all-women owners and founders is the first of its kind in the packaging industry.
With the announcement, Fritzsche is thrilled to continue supporting new and established women-owned businesses. The Spearhead Group USA has already set an impressive standard through intentional supply chain management: almost 60% of the company’s 2022 purchasing benefitted other women-owned businesses. “I am committed to promoting diverse leadership opportunities and creating equity that gives back,” Fritzsche shares. “Our new team shares a powerful vision to deliver truly innovative packaging solutions while reinforcing a positive company culture defined by sustainability at all levels. Our collective business network aims to create boundless opportunities for mentorship and growth potential. We are continually learning from each other and leveraging years of experience to develop client solutions that span the world.”
Founded in 2018, Spearhead’s international expansion follows a $40 million revenue growth in the spirits and beverage industries within the last five years. The owners of each Spearhead Group company bring an inspiring and fresh approach to the consumer packaging industry:
Heather Fritzsche, CEO & Co-founder, Spearhead USA
With more than 20 years of global packaging expertise and the CEO and Co-founder of The Spearhead Group USA, Heather Fritzsche is a highly valued business partner for some of the world’s foremost beverage and CPG brands. Fritzsche is a recipient of the prestigious 2022 Trusted Adviser Award for outstanding mentorship from WBENC-East, the leading community for women business owners and entrepreneurs. Fritzsche was also named a 2020 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for best business practices and is a Co-founder of Spearhead Project Earth™, a new charitable foundation dedicated to eliminating single-use plastics in international waterways.
Patricia Burguete, Owner & Founder, Spearhead Mexico; Head of Global Sustainability Strategies
Patricia Burguete’s lifelong appreciation for artisan craft and design led her to a career in architecture, design, and packaging. As Spearhead’s Head of Sustainability based in Mexico City, she has used her experience in corporate design to develop a network of manufacturing and technology partnerships throughout the country and beyond. In her role as Owner & Founder of Spearhead Mexico, Burguete hopes to promote the work of Mexican people around the world and to ensure everyone knows the phrase “bien hecho en México,” meaning, “well made in Mexico.” Burguete is also the Head of Sustainability at Spearhead USA’s non-profit Spearhead Project Earth™, and works with the global team to support the integration of environmentally friendly best practices at every level of corporate life from production to sourcing, freight and charitable giving.
Giovanna Pinna, Owner & Founder, Spearhead Italy
A graduate of the University of Turin in economics and business, Giovanna Pinna has more than two decades of experience in the world of advertising, communications, branding and packaging for international clients. She has worked closely with the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Turin to help cultivate the next generation of creative design talent and manages all aspects of Spearhead’s annual Physical Brand Enhancement (PBE) Awards™ to identify emerging talent and share cutting-edge ideas in the packaging industry. As Owner & Founder of Spearhead Italy, Pinna aims to apply her expertise to offer simplified, sustainable solutions to European and global clients shaped by the defining influence of Italian design.
Pooja Sikand, Owner & Founder, Spearhead India
Based in New Delhi, Pooja Sikand is an operations and production design expert with more than 20 years of experience in delivering solutions for global brands, both within the Indian market and the larger Asia-Pacific region. Her operational acumen, combined with strong skills throughout the supply chain, logistics and finance, make her an invaluable asset to Spearhead’s leadership team. In her new role as Owner & Founder of Spearhead India, Sikand will lead product design, development and supply chain management for Spearhead in the Asia-Pacific region.
About The Spearhead Group USA
A global leader in innovation in the packaging industry and a proprietary process called Physical Brand Enhancements™, The Spearhead Group USA was founded in 2018 by Heather Fritzsche, CEO, and Robert Catalano, Chief Innovation Officer. The Spearhead team brings more than 50 years of collective experience enriched by Pioneer Partners around the world. The result: a proprietary packaging process and unparalleled relationships that ensure the execution of high-value business and brand-building goals for each client. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, The Spearhead Group USA manages client-facing Packaging Innovation Centers in Louisville and Yardley and supports additional independently owned companies in Mexico, China, India and Italy. The Spearhead Group is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC-East) and is a member of Women of the Vine & Spirits. The company also funds Spearhead Project Earth™, an independent non-profit foundation founded to support the environmental protection of international waterways. Find out more: thespearheadgroup.com and @thespearheadgroupinc.
