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Insights on Demand
Miss a CPG Speaks session? Your access to the CPG industry’s best and brightest minds is below.
With hard-hitting topics featuring industry leaders, CPG Speaks sessions are packed with relevant, actionable insights for each sector of the consumer goods industry. We’re continually curating some of our series’ most impactful moments — as they happen.
How Clorox Passed the Pandemic Test
Linda Rendle, chief executive officer, and Stacey Grier, senior vice president and chief marketing and strategy officer, reflected on the past two years and discussed how they kept employees safe and met product demand – all while keeping consumers and communities at the center.
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Applying Learnings on Employees and Consumers
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Chris Hood, president of Kellogg North America, shared the company’s response to the pandemic and evolving consumer trends and discussed how the company remains agile in the face of a fast-moving environment and the importance of leveraging purpose to unlock growth.
Driving the Business of Tomorrow
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Dylan Lissette, president and CEO of Utz Quality Foods, and Mark Smucker, president and CEO of The J. M. Smucker Co., shared how they are adjusting company operations, evaluating and diversifying their iconic brand portfolios and adapting to new consumer trends. The also talked about getting employee buy-in and its critical role in driving long-term success.
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Tackling CPG’s Biggest Questions in 2021
Mark Clouse, CEO of Campbell Soup Company, shared how his experience as an Army officer and helicopter pilot shaped his leadership philosophy, the importance of business leaders building trust with your stakeholders, the macro consumer trends that will have a lasting impact on the food industry and the role corporations play in addressing broader societal topics such as sustainability and inclusion and diversity.
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Reflecting on an Essential Company’s Operations
Billy Cyr, CEO of Freshpet; Matt Farrell, chairman, president and CEO of Church & Dwight; Mark Roberts, CEO of Morton Salt; and Tricia Wallwork, CEO of Milo’s Tea Company, reflected on 2020 and what the year has taught them as leaders and their companies as essential businesses.
Crafting Retailer and Manufacturer Partnerships
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Vivek Sankaran, president and CEO of Albertsons Companies; Kathy Widmer, company group chairman, North America & Latin America, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health; and Dean Banks, president, CEO and director, Tyson Foods, discussed how their relationships are built, ways they have worked together for mutual benefit and how strong partnerships lead to a greater consumer experience.
Charting a Path Toward Tomorrow’s Consumers
Three C-suite CPG leaders outlined the bold initiatives their companies are taking to develop a purpose-led brand and to build a 21st century culture, through developing an agile company culture, embracing dramatic shopping shifts and accelerating health and wellness priorities.
Hear more from Elizabeth Harris, vice president, strategy, Constellation Brands; Alison Lewis, chief growth officer for Kimberly-Clark; and Geoff Tanner, chief commercial and marketing officer, The J. M. Smucker Company.
Imagining the CPG of the Future
Giusy Buonfantino, chief digital and marketing officer for Amway, and Chaly Jo Moyen, senior vice president, strategy, planning and decision science for Coca-Cola North America, shared their perspective on how the industry should adapt to changing consumer expectations, as well as an inside look into the future of CPG.
Rethinking Consumer Relationships
Building on his experience as the company’s former chief commercial officer, Steven Williams approaches the business of PepsiCo Foods as a relationship with consumers — one that requires attention and care to thrive. Hear Williams discuss his leadership philosophy and his strategy of leaning in to the constantly evolving consumer.
Pivoting Communication Efforts for CPG
Anna Umphress, senior director — communications and public affairs, Georgia-Pacific, and Sarah Kittel, vice president, corporate affairs, Ferrara, discussed their approach to getting out targeted messages at the right time, to the right audiences and at the right cadence. They also discussed how communication efforts have evolved as a result of the pandemic, from internal communications to investor relations and corporate communications to marketing.
Evolving the Focus of Innovation in a COVID World
Sean Connolly, president and CEO of Conagra Brands, discussed the steps Conagra has taken to ensure workers in manufacturing facilities and corporate offices remain safe and are able to provide for consumers’ needs. He also shared how Conagra has rebalanced its innovation focus toward the supply side of the business and talked about how some of these changes may stick even in a post-COVID world.
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Grounding Leadership in Purpose
Bea Perez, chief public affairs, communications and sustainability officer of The Coca-Cola Company, discussed the steps the company is taking to be a global leader in ESG (environment, social and governance). Perez also shared insights on how Coca-Cola is leading with purpose while driving economic growth and strengthening communities through partnerships and ambitious sustainability goals.
Building Direct Consumer Relationships
The Honest Company Founder Jessica Alba and CEO Nick Vlahos revealed how their brand found success by leveraging a “start-up mentality” to authentically understand and connect with consumers.
Building the Business Through Equality & Inclusion
Carolyn Tastad, Procter & Gamble’s Group President – North America and Chief Sales Officer and Vice Chair, Consumer Brands, discussed steps Procter and Gamble is taking to address bias and advance equality both within and beyond its walls. Tastad will share how P&G drives visibility, accountability and action across its brands, employees, partners and communities — and why industry collaboration and commitment is critically important to accelerate progress.
Setting the Sustainability Standard
Colgate-Palmolive and McCormick & Company took to the ‘screen’ to discuss how their companies view sustainability holistically, how they set high-level environmental and sustainability goals, the path to achieve these goals and how you can start working toward having an influence in your company’s practices now.
Managing Local Outbreaks
Leaders from Conagra Brands, The Hain Celestial Group and Hormel Foods Corporation shared steps their companies took to prevent the spread of COVID-19; how they handled testing as well as other issues; ways they worked with employees and local public health officials; and how this experience permanently changed their company protocols for the future.
Managing Unprecedented Demand
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When the COVID-19 pandemic began, cleaning and sanitizing products became some of the most sought-after CPG products – and the demand continues as consumer behavior adapts to today’s realities. The Clorox Company’s Benno Dorer, chairman and former CEO, and Troy Datcher, senior vice president and chief customer officer, experienced this surge first hand. Hear what steps Clorox took to address this unprecedented demand while focusing on their mission as a health and wellness and values-led company.
Maneuvering During a Pandemic
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Drew Facer, president and CEO of Idahoan Foods; Ryals McMullian, president and CEO of Flowers Foods; and Al Williams, president and CEO of Bush Brothers & Company discussed COVID-19’s impact on food production facilities, including how their companies are navigating supply and operations challenges, leaning into changes in consumer behaviors and buying habits, brand responsibility and thinking about what this all means for the future of food production.
Choosing to Lead
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In our first CPG Speaks session, Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills and chairman of Consumer Brands’ board of directors, outlined how the company remained nimble in an ever-changing environment during the onset of COVID-19, what consumer behavior he was most surprised to see, the leadership lessons he learned in guiding his team and how they are planning for the future.
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