CigarClub.Com Hires Shanda Lee as Chief Marketing Officer

Monthly cigar subscription box company CigarClub.com announces the hiring of Shanda Lee as chief marketing officer (CMO), completing its C-suite expansion.

With an equity interest in the company, Lee will work remotely from Tampa, FL with the founders and executive management team as the company pursues an aggressive growth plan over the next five years. With the rich cigar history in Tampa, it was important strategically for the company to establish a presence in the “Cigar City”.

Lee will be responsible for leading all marketing and promotion within the company, which includes interactions with customers as well as suppliers to support every other aspect of the business from advertising and public relations to sales.

CigarClub.com’s new CMO brings more than 20 years of experience directing and re-engineering marketing and advertising functions at multiple B2B and B2C companies and is an industry veteran. Most recently, Lee served as a marketing consultant for Gurkha Cigar Company and prior to that was Vice President of Marketing for over a decade at J.C. Newman Cigar Company.

“Shanda officially completes our C-Suite expansion and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to the team,” said Jeff Zeiders, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of CigarClub.com. “Her extensive marketing background and vast experience working within the cigar industry brings an imperative set of tools to our executive team.”

In just over two years, CigarClub.com has experienced significant growth in an untapped lifestyle subscription box marketplace in the cigar space. Co-Founder and CTO Chris Yokley spearheaded the creation of a proprietary algorithm that allows customers to receive cigars that are paired to their palate. “As a cigar enthusiast I was frustrated with the trial and error of purchasing cigars that didn’t fit my flavor profile. We knew there had to be a better way” said Yokely. The company has fielded several inquiries to acquire their technology and distribution systems but has no immediate plans to sell.

According to a recent Forbes article, the subscription box market has grown by over 890% since 2014. While some categories are starting to decline, the largest opportunity for growth falls within the men’s lifestyle segment.