The CPG View

Can you walk us through your journey to becoming VP of Digital Commerce at Danone and share one or two pivotal experiences or decisions that shaped your path? In your role leading digital commerce at a large CPG company, how do you define success? Is there a guiding principle or philosophy you rely on when making strategic decisions? The digital commerce landscape is changing rapidly. What trend, innovation, or change in consumer behavior is having the biggest influence on how you approach onl

You have spent years analyzing the intersection of retail, commerce, and organizational strategy. From your perspective, what are the biggest assumptions about modern commerce that leadership teams still have wrong? A lot of organizations continue trying to optimize individual channels while the market increasingly behaves as one interconnected commerce ecosystem. What do you think executives are underestimating about that shift? Many leadership teams talk about omnichannel maturity, but inter

Let’s start with your journey. You’ve gone from strategy consulting to now leading Spencer Stuart’s CEO and Board Practice globally. Looking back, what moments or experiences really shaped how you think about leadership and the role it plays in organizations? Today, you’re working right at the intersection of leadership, governance, and long-term performance, often with boards and CEOs during some pretty high stakes moments. When you look at situations like CEO transitions or changes in board,

What Changed? What leaders must understand now 4 the shifts in market structure, regulation, or competitive dynamics that demand attention this week? What Leaders Are Getting Wrong? Default assumptions under pressure. The conventional wisdom that no longer holds and the blind spots that create exposure? Operator Moves? What to change in the next days. Concrete, tactical adjustments grounded in what operators are actually doing? Planning Implications? How plans should adjust. Connecting weekl

AVNs are often treated as annual tactical negotiations. Why do you believe they should be approached as a long-term strategic lever instead, and what are the most common profitability leaks you see during these negotiations? How far in advance should vendors realistically begin preparing for AVNs, and what does best-in-class preparation actually look like? Where do vendors unknowingly give up leverage in negotiations with Amazon, and how can they shift from defensive positioning to negotiating

Commerce has become significantly more transparent over the last decade, especially around pricing, assortment, promotions, and competitive behavior. From your perspective, how has that changed the way brands and retailers operate? Many organizations are collecting massive amounts of commerce data, but still struggle to act on it fast enough. Where do you think the biggest execution gaps exist today? One thing executives are increasingly worried about is competitive volatility, where pricing c