Jeanelle Teves never thought she'd leave the sports industry. After nearly a decade at Nike, working alongside world-class athletes and managers, her career path seemed set. Then in 2020, everything changed.

Join Bora Celik as he chats with Jeanelle Teves, Chief Commercial Officer of Bugaboo.

Watch/Listen: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed

"I discovered that I was expecting my son," Jeanelle recalls. "I really took that moment to reflect on, okay, how am I spending my time? What is most important to me?"

When the opportunity to join Bugaboo appeared, something clicked. Though she hadn't considered leaving sports, Jeanelle found herself deeply connected to Bugaboo's core audience—because suddenly, she was that person.

"I was the new mother," she explains. "If I'm to change industries, change spaces, what better way than to serve new mothers, new parents?"

Four years later, as Chief Commercial Officer for Bugaboo North America, Jeanelle helps lead one of the most recognizable premium stroller brands in the world—a company that's been transforming the parenting experience for 25 years.

A Dutch Design Revolution

Bugaboo began with a design student named Max in the Netherlands. The company quickly became what Jeanelle calls "the category creator in stroller innovation," developing products that solve real problems for parents.

Though the brand started in Europe, it has seen explosive growth in North America over the past five years. Their Bugaboo Butterfly has become "the number one premium ultra compact stroller" in the market—the one you can bring on an airplane.

Many Americans first encountered Bugaboo through an unexpected cultural moment: a placement on HBO's Sex and the City that catapulted the brand into the mainstream.

"That was really the launching point here in the US," Jeanelle says. "Of course, at that time, Sex and the City was a cultural phenomenon and any brand that was on that show immediately exploded."

What's fascinating is that this wasn't a calculated marketing move. "That was not a partnership," Jeanelle explains. "It was an organic placement opportunity that someone from the set just really loved the brand and included it within the props department."

From Cultural Moments to Customer Connections

Today's media landscape is vastly different. When asked if such a breakthrough cultural moment could be engineered now, Jeanelle shakes her head.

"People's attention is just splintered," she says. "You're watching a show on Netflix and you're probably also scrolling on TikTok. I think it's really hard to break through. I think consistency, authenticity of course is really what matters."

Instead of chasing viral moments, Bugaboo focuses on understanding what parents truly need. This starts with careful observation. Jeanelle makes it a point to get out of the office regularly.

"I really try and get out and travel the marketplace, visit our stores, visit our partners, even just go to Central Park and see how parents are moving, interacting with their strollers," she says. "Any good business leader taking a step outside the office in your day-to-day and putting yourself where your consumer is."

This commitment to understanding parents led to one of Bugaboo's most successful recent products. Through consumer surveys, they discovered American parents wanted strollers that would grow with their families.

"We heard loud and clear that parents are looking for high quality strollers that will last them several years, more specifically that will last them more than one child," Jeanelle explains.

The result was the Bugaboo Kangaroo, a modular stroller that adapts as families grow—starting as a single stroller that can later expand to accommodate a second child.

"It was the very first stroller made with the US parent in mind," Jeanelle says. "We launched it, unveiled it Q4 of last year. It did incredibly well, highest ever pre-orders, press coverage."

Quality That Creates Lifelong Brand Advocates

What sets Bugaboo apart in a crowded market? Jeanelle points to two things consistently mentioned in consumer surveys: "the driveability, the smooth ride and the wheels."

To ensure their products meet the highest standards, Bugaboo puts each stroller through rigorous testing.

"Our wheels are tested to drive across thousands of miles of mileage," Jeanelle says. "We test them to drive nonstop 3000 miles. That's the same distance from New York City to Los Angeles. Some cars can't make it that far, but our strollers will."

This commitment to quality creates something remarkable: parents who identify with the brand long after their children have outgrown strollers.

"I'll be at a dinner party and I'll meet someone. They find out I work at Bugaboo and they'll say, 'Oh my gosh, I was a Bugaboo mom! I loved my Bugaboo stroller,'" Jeanelle says. "This mom, her children are 18, 15, and 13. She is long past the stroller stage, but she remembers how significant that stroller was for her in that stage of her life."

This emotional connection is no accident. It comes from understanding what parents truly need during one of life's biggest transitions.

"We are not in the stroller business," Jeanelle insists. "That is actually the product that we sell, but we are in the business of helping new parents feel confident in this really unknown stage of their life."

She speaks from experience: "If you can even think back to when you first became a parent, it's so many unknowns. But the times where I felt a little bit more like myself was when I was going for a walk and I could feel the sun and I had the fresh air. I felt like it was good for my baby. I felt like it was good for me."

Looking Ahead

As Bugaboo continues to grow, the team is focusing on building authentic relationships with creators who share their values and aesthetic, while maintaining the quality and innovation that made them famous.

They're also making bold commitments to sustainability, becoming the first in their industry to set net zero targets by 2035. "This means that we're committed to reducing our emissions close to zero without offsetting them," Jeanelle explains.

For Jeanelle, it all comes back to the team and the future. "The team, how is the team feeling, building the culture of Bugaboo where the team feels engaged and united and excited and ready. So team is first and foremost a priority. That is the foundation in which the house is built."

And as for what's next? "We have an exciting roadmap, pipeline in the coming year," she hints. "It's going to be a really busy year in 2025."

Help build the opportunity economy for creators and brands. Request your invite at collabs.io