Twelve years and $16 million dollars later, Jennifer Hawkins will step down as ambassador for Myer in November, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Australian golden girl will be replaced by former The Block contestant Elyse Knowles, who announced herself as an ambassador for Myer on her blog on July 29, alongside 34-year-old AFL footballer Josh Gibson.
“You don’t know whether you should laugh or cry, sit or stand or run around like a crazy kid! That’s me at the moment, smiling from ear to ear & jumping out of my skin,” Knowles wrote as she announced the news.
“In the last 6 months especially, my love & respect for the iconic brand has grown & grown!” she added.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Myer were unable to negotiate a deal with Hawkins at the price she wanted. This is unsurprising, given that Hawkins was being paid $1.3 million per annum throughout her deal with Myer, while 25-year-old Knowles will be paid only $150,000, approximately an eighth of the cost.
The publication also confirmed that Hawkins will walk in the annual Sydney spring-summer on August 23, alongside the newly appointed ambassador Elyse Knowles. The Sydney Morning Herald added that the tipping point resulting in the model and entrepreneur’s leaving Myer was the alleged “planting”of stories last week which introduced Knowles and Gibson as ambassadors for the brand.
The publication of these articles are reported to have “infuriated” her team, as she has been unable to manage the announcement of her leave with Myer.
Of course, this is far from the end for Jennifer Hawkins.
Establishing her swimwear line, Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins in 2007 was just the start of a buzz that’s been hard for Hawkins to shake ever since.
Her tanning range, Jbronze has cemented its position in bathroom cabinets across the country, and Sesión, her tequila brand with husband, Jake Wall, has done the same in liquor cabinets.
Add to that her million-dollar property portfolio, J Group Projects, and lucrative brand ambassadorships with major companies such as Mount Franklin and Colgate, and things are looking pretty golden for the beach girl from New South Wales. And by golden, we mean an estimated worth of more than $10 million.
For someone who started her career as a cheerleader in her hometown of Holmesville, it’s a huge achievement, and a credit to her entrepreneurial spirit.
Speaking to Mamamia late last year, Jennifer Hawkins admitted that with so much going on, it’s easy to make mistakes.
“Oh my gosh yeah, I’ve made some mistakes, but the downs make the ups so much more exciting,” Hawkins told Mamamia.
“It’s a roller coaster ride and it’s not always perfect and rosy. [The biggest thing I’ve learnt is] when you’re going into partnerships with people, make sure you’re on the same page from the very beginning, that you see eye-to-eye and have the same outlook for the company,” she added.
Jennifer Hawkins isn’t afraid of taking risks, but calculates her decisions carefully.
“There’s risk involved and you’re putting yourself out there, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but you’ve just got to go for it.”
With this context in mind, walking away from a Myer deal is just the beginning for Jennifer Hawkins.