Biography

As a business development consultant, PR expert and creative brand strategist, Roche works with clients to help them achieve their sales goals and maximize their brand exposure.  Roche has over twenty years of corporate communications, executive management and creative experience in a wide range of business applications.

Roche’s background includes serving as Executive Vice President at boutique PR firm Pierce Mattie, managing a team of 25 publicists and a client portfolio of 50 plus.  Specializing in luxury goods PR and marketing, Roche served the firm’s clients in the executive management capacity and as their chief creative strategist.  Her role focused on building synergy between the client and the team by assuring a smooth and positive transition into the agency and coaching her staff to come up with the campaigns that create media buzz.  She represented a range of clients from Old Navy and Guess Handbags to Jane Iredale and Revive Skincare.  She has taught several seminars for FIT and the Cosmetic & Fragrance marketing program on viral communications.

In her spa consulting role, Roche has worked with beauty brands Hourglass Cosmetics, Trees Beauty, Whish, and Bio Origin to formulate products, develop spa treatments, and execute PR strategies.  She helped to develop and launch two spa start-ups including Seven Salon Spa.

Roche continues to work in commercial real estate with the real estate firm, Boulderwood Group.  She co-founded Boulderwood Group in 2004 when Roche merged her consulting practice with partner Carole Murko.

Prior to the creation of Boulderwood Group, Roche owned Joanna & Company, a marketing, public relations and business development firm she founded in 2001. Clients included Stonover Farm, Mepal Manor and Spa, the artist Danny O, Campo de Fiori, Peter Alvarez Salon, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.   She focused on developing the marketing and public relations strategies for these clients and was successful in generating a number of placements in publications such as the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Travel and Leisure, W Magazine, Berkshire Living, Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, Launch Pad, and many more.

She served as the Communications Director for Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires for eight years, working primarily on marketing and PR for the destination resort, and serving on the corporate marketing committee.  She was responsible for the creation and implementation of the cultural calendar campaign, partnering with the Berkshire’s cultural attractions to create packages that increased summer occupancy at the resort.  Roche orchestrated many media visits and placements including segments on the Travel Channel, the Food Network, NPR’s 51%, The Morning Show on CBS, and print placements too numerous to mention.

Roche has also worked as a sales associate for Storey Communications, selling advertising for their national publication, the Gardeners’ Marketplace, was the business manager for nationally known magician Timothy Wenk, and served as gallery administrator for Hansen Art Gallery in Lahaina, Hawaii.  She has extensive experience with boards and committees, including serving as the President of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chair and Treasurer of IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, and served eight years on the Lenox Finance Committee.