Ellen Marram ’68

Alumnae Achievement Awards 2001

Business Leader, Marketing Innovator

Ellen Marram ’68 is a top-level business executive and newly named general partner at North Castle Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the healthy living and aging sectors.

Before joining North Castle Partners, Marram served briefly as president and CEO of efdex, a B2B food and drink exchange. From 1993-1998, she was president and CEO of Tropicana Beverage Company, whose brands surged to the forefront of the juice market thanks to Marram's leading role in applying "sophisticated brand segmentation" to orange juice and in opening up new markets in Europe and China during her tenure there.

Marram began her marketing career at Lever Brothers and from there went to Johnson & Johnson's Personal Products Co. In 1977, she joined Standard Brands Inc., becoming a vice president of marketing with the 1981 acquisition by Nabisco. She took over the role of president of Nabisco's Grocery Division in 1987 and a year later became president and CEO of Nabisco Biscuit Company. Marram is credited with developing the idea of a low-fat brand of cookies and snacks - an idea that turned into SnackWell's.

Marram is a Director of Ford Motor Company and the New York Times and serves on many other boards of both non-profit organizations and private companies. She also serves on the boards of The New York and Presbyterian Hospital, Lincoln Center Theater, The Conference Board, The Families and Work Institute and Citymeals-on-Wheels.