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8 n e w h a v e n B I Z | D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m O n T h e R e c o r d | Q & A T hink of manufacturer BIC, and products like lighters, shavers and pens immediately come to mind. But the Shelton-based company has been diversifying in recent years. It has its new BodyMark line of body markers, launched in 2018, for people to create temporary tattoos. In 2021, it introduced a special BIC Pride Pack of markers featuring rainbow colors for tattoos to support the LGBTQ+ communities. Another line of markers has been marketed to sports fans who want to support their favorite teams on game day. To expand its lighter line, BIC in 2020 launched its EZ Reach lighter, which has an extended wand to make it easier to light candles and grills, while keeping hands away from flames. Ahead of Earth Day this year, BIC introduced a new line of eco-friendly stationery products, with pens and markers made from at least 50% recycled plastic. Last year, the company, which recorded $2 billion in sales in 2020, expanded its product offerings to include BIC Kids, coloring supplies for children in the United States, products it had already been selling globally. It also acquired Boston-based digital notebook company Rocketbook, paying $40 million upfront for the startup, which makes cloud-connected, smart and reusable notebooks and accessories. Also last year, BIC acquired Djeep, a French manufacturer of high-end decorated lighters, for $45.4 million. BIC also has been recruiting big names to market its products. It recently teamed with supermodel Chanel Iman, best known for her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel, to introduce its BodyMark by BIC NFL series. Entertainer Snoop Dogg and businesswoman Martha Stewart are marketing the EZ Reach lighter. Actress Tia Mowry, famous for shows such as "Sister, Sister" and a mother herself, is marketing BIC Kids products. Gonzalve Bich has been the company's CEO since 2018, and he is the third generation from his family to serve in the role. His grandfather, Marcel Bich, founded the company in 1944. New Haven Biz recently chatted with Gonzalve Bich about the company, its recent diversification and its future. Tell us about your background at BIC? I have been at the company my whole life. It is my family. I was very close to my grandfather, the company's founder. My dad [Bruno Bich] ran it for a number of decades. I joined the company officially in 2003 aer a short stint as a consultant in New York with Deloitte, and I have been with the orga- nization ever since. What has been your focus since you took over as CEO? As a long-term company, we have to be focused on growth. ere is growth in each of our core divisions. I like the word diversification. Doing that can come through inter- nal innovation, either at the product level or the technology level. But acqui- sition work is also important. A startup like Rocketbook is a great example. It's a small, less than 50-per- son company that caught on to a really interesting segment. We bring to them global reach, and we are able to scale the business. It harkens back to the roots of BIC. My grandfather bought the original ball pen patent and then he scaled that to the most-known pen in the world. We bought a small lighter company in Brit- tany, France, and we turned it into the largest global-branded lighter business. We bought a small shave business in Greece that we have turned into a global powerhouse in shave that BIC has become. My goal is to step up these efforts. We will be bringing more capital to the table and becoming a little bit more aggressive and ambitious in where we want to take the organization over the very long term. The company has been recruiting a lot of celebrities. How successful has this strategy been? We are very happy with the results of each of those different partner- ships. Some of them are very large partnerships at a global level, some are hyperlocal. We have done them all over the world. I love when we find brand ambas- sadors who can connect in an organic and authentic way with our products, and the purpose of those products. It is harkening back to the legacy of the organization. You'll remember the [shaving] cam- paigns we did with [tennis star] John McEnroe for years in the U.S., and then we had 'Flick the BIC.' We are just being a little bit more visible and more ambitious. Last year, BIC acquired Rocketbook. Do you anticipate digital writing products will be a growth area? It is already a source of growth. Consumers have more and more abili- ty to communicate, it is exponential every year. Rocketbook is the market leader in digital notebooks. It has been incredible how we have been able to scale that this year. ey are having an incredible year in the Big Names, New Products By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo Gonzalve Bich CEO BIC Age: 42 Education: B.A., History, Harvard University PHOTO | HEIDI CURRAN PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS | COURTESY BIC Manufacturing giant BIC branches out from lighters, shavers and pens Gonzalve Bich is the CEO of manufacturing giant BIC. BIC has branched out into making kits for temporary tattoos.

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