Jannick Group

Rachel became an entrepreneur because she wanted to be more in control of her financial future. She wanted to have the choice to work only with people she respected and on content she liked. And today, Rachel still loves the thrill of running her own business. Since co-founding SPARK with her longtime business partner, Mary Wallace Jaensch, over twenty years ago, she has built an international client base that includes multiple divisions of Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, Pfizer, Merck, Bayer and Church & Dwight, among others. With her passion and commitment, Rachel has successfully launched, built and revitalized companies around the globe, based on the belief that sustainable, profitable growth starts with a sound strategy and is continually driven forward by connecting with customers, building partnerships, and creating revenue.

When Rachel graduated from Stanford Business School, her dream was to run Johnson & Johnson; her first job at Johnson & Johnson was in product management on the iconic TYLENOL® brand. Rachel adored that role and felt as if she was working on the crown jewel of the company. Since that time, Rachel has worked for or with Johnson & Johnson employees and alumni for over 20 years. The relationships she formed there have been foundational to her entire career in terms of mentorship, business-building and clients who have hired SPARK again and again as they move to new roles at other companies. Rachel transitioned from product management to consulting; first for a large company and then her own strategy boutique –always parlaying the corporate relationships into client work. Rachel learned a few core lessons very early on: she was great at building relationships, she loved to sell, and she was energized by solving complex problems.
A decade ago, Rachel and Mary had the opportunity to buy a product that improved arousal, desire and satisfaction for women. They raised venture capital, created a company, and a Vagipreneur was born. A NY Times journalist coined that term and it stuck – providing an easy shorthand and a great descriptor for a person in the business of female health. Rachel focuses on large and small companies that offer products and services for female sexual health, reproductive health and women’s wellness solutions.
Rachel is featured at leadership and entrepreneurship events at colleges, universities, corporations and conferences, including: Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Duke University, The Fuqua School at Duke University, Yale School
of Management, Barnard College, Johnson & Johnson, and Pennsylvania Conference for Women among others. Rachel has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, CBS News and MSNBC, and been interviewed for major platforms including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, and CNN. Rachel has contributed over 4 dozen articles to The Huffington Post, and contributes to Inc.
In 2015, Rachel was recognized as one of Best Fifty Women in Business by NJ Biz. In addition, she was the recipient of SmartCEO's BRAVA Awards honoring top female CEOs. Rachel was honored as one of JWI’s “10 Women to Watch” in 2016. She serves on the Duke New York Women’s Executive Board, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and the board of Formula XO, a specialty beauty company. Rachel earned an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 1992 after graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University with a B.A. in Psychology and Human
Development.