Darren Contardo

Expertise

Growth and Management of Operating Companies as a Seasoned Global Sales and Marketing Executive

  • 20+ Years of Health & Wellness Brand Leadership
  • Over $1.3B in Sales
  • $500M+ Transactions
  • CMO of the Year in Health and Wellness Industry
  • Numerous other industry awards and recognition
  • Author of Marketing That Really Works: How to Build #1 Brands Fast

Leadership Style

  • Values: Integrity, Innovation, Resilience
  • Kolbe: 7-7-6-1
  • Leadership Style: I believe in people. Believe in what’s possible. Use the “I think” philosophy.

Darren Contardo
Chief Executive Officer 

Darren Contardo is a proven global sales and marketing executive, entrepreneur, and author with a proven ability to transform health & wellness companies into market leaders. He is internationally recognized for his ability to diagnose performance bottlenecks, reposition brands, and drive profitable growth through a structured audit-and-execution framework.

Darren’s expertise spans consumer packaged goods (CPG), direct-to-consumer marketing, retail expansion, and portfolio strategy. As CEO of R8 Holdings, Darren leads the acquisition, management, and growth of health & wellness companies in the $5M–$30M range. He focuses on finding strong but under-marketed businesses that can benefit from professional management and disciplined execution.

Darren applies a proven audit-and-growth framework to accelerate revenue and EBITDA. One of his best-known accomplishments was the SlimFast turnaround, where he grew revenue from $129M to $260M and EBITDA from -$13M to +$24M, culminating in a $350M sale at 14.6x EBITDA.

At R8, Darren manages acquired companies to drive innovation, expand channels, and scale profitability, transforming overlooked brands into high-growth and highly profitable market-leading platforms.

Select Work Experience

  • SPNutraceuticals Inc. (CEO)
  • Canopy Growth Co (Global Head of Edible Extracts and Director of Portfolio Co Strategy)
  • BioSteel (CEO)
  • This Works (CEO)
  • SlimFast Foods Company (President of Emerging Brands and Senior VP Marketing)
  • Numerous Companies (VP and Director of Marketing)