Meet our founder

Isn't it fascinating that people make the things we use every day? I realized this as a pre-teen and I've never outgrown that fascination. As a kid, I told people I wanted to make shampoo when I grew up. It turns out, I meant it.

My curiosity grew in chemistry class, where a sticker on my teacher’s chalkboard read: “What in the world isn’t chemistry?” That spark set me on a path to spend my career exploring the beauty and personal care world — not just what makes products work, but why people connect with them.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked across R&D, marketing, and executive leadership, from Johnson & Johnson to Clariant to Inolex — building products, brands, and teams that bring science and creativity together. I’ve led corporate strategy, developed innovative new ingredients, reimagined brand identities, and built marketing functions from the ground up.

Along the way, I discovered how much I love the space where logic meets emotion — where data and intuition both have a seat at the table. That balance is what inspired me to create Sunhaven Consulting — a place for leaders and businesses to rise.

I help companies grow by connecting insight with imagination, purpose with process, and strategy with story. Because growth doesn’t come from choosing between creativity and structure; it comes from bringing both to life. When data meets intuition, and when human stories shape strategy, real innovation happens.

At my core, I’m still that chemist who loves a good puzzle — and a leader who believes business should feel both smart and human.

 Lisa Gandolfi, PhD

 Founder of Sunhaven Consulting