2013 Consumer Goods Visionaries
The mantra of the 2013 Class of Visionaries is “Listen and Learn”… to and from team members, internal departments, end consumers, retail customers, technology providers and so on. The 11 executives profiled on the following pages were named “visionaries” by CGT’s editorial staff (based on glowing reader nominations) not only for leading successful business transformation initiatives, but also for the high value that they assign to a collaborative approach to change. They see the big picture, but they recognize that it is only achievable when others see it too. And when they don’t, these executives act on the insights and experience of others to course correct and set out in a new strategic direction for the benefit of all. On the pages that follow, the 2013 Visionaries reveal their biggest career accomplishments to date (and oftentimes acknowledge those who helped them), detail strategic initiatives in the works, and share words of inspiration that they use in their daily lives. But first, we shine a special spotlight on one of the industry’s true collaboration advocates: Newell Rubbermaid’s Chief Customer Officer Joe Cavaliere.
Joe Cavaliere
Chief Customer Officer
Newell Rubbermaid
A driving force in the health of every company is its customer base.
Since joining Newell Rubbermaid as Chief Customer Officer in December 2012, Joe Cavaliere has made it his mission to fully leverage the company’s total platform of trusted brands to become the partner of choice for growth.
Under his leadership, Newell Rubbermaid is becoming a true “customer intimate organization” by building a global customer development organization that delivers actionable consumer insights, high-impact demand creation and brilliant execution at every touch point.
Throughout 2013, Cavaliere and his team will dedicate specific efforts to further the company's “Voice of the Customer” program, which has leveraged findings from more than 180 live interviews with key trade customers to shape customer business development plans.
Here, Cavaliere details how developing strategic customer partnerships will create value across the entire enterprise, improving customer experiences and collaboration at every interaction, which will in turn drive Newell Rubbermaid’s Growth Game Plan into action.
Explain your vision for Newell Rubbermaid as a customer intimate organization?
Cavaliere: In my experience, the way to build more intimate customer relationships is through greater collaboration. Some of the ways I’d like to partner more closely with our retail customers is by providing greater lead times for new innovations, so together we can develop breakthrough programs that drive growth. We will also bring more marketplace insights to the table. The retailer is the expert on its shopper — but we are the experts on our category, and we plan to bring much better consumer and category data that will help us create more total value together.
What type of leader are you?
Cavaliere: I’m in it to win it. Sales is all about hitting the numbers and delivering results. I demand that of myself and of my team. But, I also believe it is very important to treat people with respect and be consistent with your values in everything you do. My leadership style boils down to a few simple points: give people both accountability and responsibility, align around clear objectives, manage transparently and communicate frequently.
What type of traits do you look for in team members?
Cavaliere: Guided by a new Growth Game Plan strategy, Newell Rubbermaid centralized its Customer Development Organization, which I now lead. I am further building a team of great people with new capabilities. We aim to foster a customer-centric culture with clear ownership and accountability at every level. I want the best talent — people focused on performance and outcomes aligned with our strategy — and, in return, we will invest in their development.
How are you acting on the insights gleaned from Newell Rubbermaid’s “Voice of the Customer” program?
Cavaliere: We have made a very significant investment in growing the size and capabilities of our global consumer insights team at Newell Rubbermaid. This will enable us to work with our customers to codevelop smarter merchandising programs that drive store traffic and increase basket size, while delighting our consumers. In this process, we gather significant data and very specific insights from key customers about their key areas of importance and our relative performance. The focus is not about what we are doing great, but to learn if our customers may have a high-value need where we could improve our performance.
Can you share benefits or new capabilities realized insofar?
Cavaliere: As an early step, we have created a new group within our customer development team that is 100-percent focused on shopper marketing. This will help us better customize programs that deliver bigger impact in-store. Another early step is doing more to take advantage of the seasonal events when consumers naturally rely on our products. For example, this summer as millions of people flock to the beach, entertain guests at home or picnic in the park, Rubbermaid should be a destination brand with our wide variety of food and beverage containers. So, we are offering new opportunities to partner for this key time of year.
What are the next steps?
Cavaliere: Every day is another step toward building out the vision of being the partner of choice for growth — by developing a high-performing team, new capabilities, new insights and merchandising opportunities, and more customer collaboration. More than 90 percent of the homes and businesses in the United States have one or more of our products. This is great, but we still have significant growth opportunities to develop with our trade customers both here and abroad. As such, we are making investments across the globe in business intelligence, salesforce automation and other key processes.
Who do you admire most in business?
Cavaliere: I admire those who have built great businesses, but also have made a big commitment to improve the communities they serve. We all have a huge responsibility to provide the next generation with vibrant and sustainable businesses that improve lives.
Is there one piece of advice that you live and work by?
Cavaliere: Control the controllable: keep a positive attitude, work hard, show up early, be prepared and treat people well.
Ivan Arrington
Senior Insights Manager
Butterball LLC
Vision in Action: Ivan Arrington “is changing the way retailers market Thanksgiving turkeys in the United States,” according to Butterball’s Director of Marketing Kyle Lock. For decades, retailers discounted frozen whole turkeys as a cost of doing business, but Arrington saw opportunity. He collaborated with sales and brand management teams, retail partners and research vendors to create the Butterball Blueprint, the first technology- and data-driven Thanksgiving plan for grocery retailers. “We built a story that combines consumer insights, price gap recommendations and product assortment suggestions to change the game,” explains Arrington. In the two years since the project’s launch, retail losses on frozen whole turkeys decreased 15 percent.
On the Horizon: Arrington and his team are hard at work building a virtual community of turkey lovers. “The top reason shoppers don’t pick up our great turkey bacon or sausage products is that they don’t know they exist,” he explains. “Combining custom shopper research with the industry’s newest geo-demographic targeting software, we built a micro-targeting tool to make that communication more effective and efficient.”
Leadership Philosophy: Arrington says that he encourages his team to be prepared. “It’s a bit old fashioned, but it drives self-reliance," he says. "New technology can provide answers faster and more accurately than ever before, but anticipating the next question is what keeps us ahead.”
Words to Live/Work By: American mythologist, writer and lecturer Joseph Campbell once said, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are”. “I love that,” concludes Arrington.
Bill Baumbach
Chief Information Officer
Wells Enterprises
Vision in Action: Wells Enterprises is the largest family-owned and operated ice cream manufacturer in the United States. With highly complex routes to market and the seasonality of the perishable product line, demand planning can be challenging. Bill Baumbach is on a mission to simplify that by way of analytical-based decision making. He championed the introduction of an innovative enterprise demand forecasting and promotion management process, enabled by Oracle Demantra. “Our recent implementation provided new tools for improving our Integrated Business Planning process, but the real benefit will be in the depth of insight it provides into promotional effectiveness as we correlate this new information against existing sales, inventory and other data,” he says.
On the Horizon: Baumbach is currently evaluating product lifecycle management solutions. “Ultimately, our goal will be to gain efficiency, improve cycle times and continue to ensure the highest quality in our products. Again, by integrating new data available in this solution, we can greatly improve our speed of innovation.”
Leadership Philosophy: Early in his career, Baumbach met Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Benjamin Zander. “I saw parallels between conducting an orchestra and leading an IT organization. Both are filled with highly specialized and talented individuals, but by combining and optimizing the individual potential, it is possible to create something greater than the sum of the parts. The conductor and the CIO do little more than facilitate others’ success.”
Business Role Model: “Our CEO, Mike Wells, is someone that I greatly admire. The combination of his industry experience, strong motivational style of leadership, employee focus, and high ethical and moral integrity makes him a great role model."
Rick Davis
Vice President, Business Planning
Kellogg Company
Vision in Action: Up until 2000, Kellogg was primarily a ready-to-eat cereal company, with 100 years of success in that market. But shifting consumer preferences led the company to enter new markets, acquiring brands like Pringles and Kashi, and increasing supply chain complexity. Add in the turbulent economy, and Kellogg became well aware that it needed to invest in predictive analytics and proactively model promotions. Investing in technology was the first step. Investing in personnel was the second, and today, all Kellogg demand planners are in the process of becoming IBF-certified. “I am very proud that I have helped our organization understand the size and importance of the opportunity that exists with technology and the integration of data,” says Davis. “The companies who succeed in creating the capability to organize, analyze, interpret and act on the insights driven by multi-faceted levels of information will be the ones who will be relevant in the years to come.”
On the Horizon: Davis is working with companies such as Terra Technology to create a product attribution profile and to incorporate this information into its next generation demand planning toolsets. “Our organization will reap significant benefits from integrated data and attribution management, which will allow us to make step-change improvements in our predictive capabilities,” says Davis.
Leadership Philosophy: “A great leader is there to serve the team,” says Davis. “That they create direction and articulate a sound strategy; surround themselves with extremely talented individuals; trusts the team and allows them the freedom to deliver and succeed without getting in the way.”
Words to live/work by: Davis tries to inspire his team with the following words: “I am here for you, it’s not the other way around. What can I do to help you succeed?”
Jon Harding
Global Chief Information Officer
Conair Corporation
Vision in Action: Among his many accomplishments, Jon Harding considers his biggest win to be acting on the opportunity to work with Marketing to provide critical sales and consumer insights information quicker and much more efficiently. “In 2012, we successfully transformed Marketing’s ability to provide timely insights on consumer buying trends for Conair products versus our competitors… The transformation process was complicated as this is Big Data — in terms of different coding structures for each data feed, and frequent changes in those structures,” explains Harding. Yet, a collaborative approach to change, along with a software-as-a-service technology implementation, resulted in a 93 percent improvement in productivity amongst the Marketing team. “This was not an IT project; it was a Marketing project with IT as the catalyst,” he states.
On the Horizon: Harding is again working with Marketing to provide additional sales and consumer insights information based on the analysis of commentary about Conair products and associated services in social media channels. An integrated and properly implemented social media analytics system will lead to business benefits, like better service to consumers who have feedback or questions about products; better understanding by the organization of consumer issues or questions; and additional consumer insights to be incorporated into the category management process, among others.
Words to Work/Live By: “Don’t just say ‘no’,” says Harding. “It is the modern IT team’s role to figure out how to meet a new or emerging business requirement using existing or new technologies. Saying ‘no‘ straightaway does not build the collaborative relationship with the other departments, which is essential for long-term successful delivery of IT solutions.”
Scott Hendrick
Senior Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer & Chief Information Officer
ScottsMiracle-Gro
Vision in Action: Under Scott Hendrick’s direction, ScottsMiracle-Gro’s IT organization is now focused on business transformation. He fosters a collaborative environment that allows his team to partner with and influence the business to realize substantial results. For example, about one-third of the department partakes in a Business Transformation University Leadership Program, in which high-potential associates receive 24 months of intensive leadership training. Meanwhile, managers are trained to improve their coaching skills, like maintaining collaborative relationships and motivating associates. The department also meets each month to discuss corporate strategies, departmental initiatives and other information that furthers associates’ understanding of how their work aligns with the company’s direction. Within the coming year, ScottsMiracle-Gro will launch a Business Transformation University Technical program to provide associates with even more opportunities to gain depth and breadth in technical competencies.
On the Horizon: “Having real-time, two-way communication between our Sales team and supporting organization is critical to understanding market needs, responding to competitive pressures, meeting customer expectations and delighting our consumers,” says Hendrick. To that end, the company is implementing a mobile salesforce automation solution from AFS Technologies, which is expected to enhance capabilities around in-store execution by streamlining the ability to collect and analyze store-level insights and intelligence.
Business Role Model: “The world is filled with people with amazing talents; I believe we can all improve by learning from those whom we are blessed to work with every day. For about 15 years, I have made an effort to identify the best aspect of each leader, peer and associate, and then incorporate such traits into my style.”
Beth Lange, PHD
Chief Scientific Officer
Mary Kay Inc.
Vision in Action: In her global role, Dr. Beth Lange is the technical liaison to the more than 2.5 million members of Mary Kay Inc.’s independent salesforce. In addition, she represents Mary Kay’s Research and Development (R&D) group to industry trade associations and the medical community; and leads the Global Product Development, Quality, Medical Affairs and Regulatory Affairs departments. During her tenure, Mary Kay has expanded into 14 new markets, rationalized products lines in all 35 markets and, in what she calls her greatest accomplishment, streamlined a global new product strategy. She’s also strengthened the company’s global R&D team with new talent and expertise. “We have experts in consumer insights, sensory, quality, safety assessment, formulation and innovation helping to create new Mary Kay products that are enjoyed around the world,” says Dr. Lange.
On the Horizon: Mary Kay is focused on global growth and expansion. “This includes the addition of highly-technical talent throughout our global footprint to ensure we have the right expertise in place to oversee regional needs,” says Dr. Lange. This will hopefully ease the burden and inefficiencies that most multi-national companies, like Mary Kay, experience due to a lack of harmonization of global regulations for products, packaging, etc.
Business Role Model: Facebook Chief Operating Officer and “Lean In” Author Sheryl Sandberg. “She really started a dialogue about what is statistically and realistically happening to women in the industry,” says Dr. Lange. “Women are still making less than men and not reaching the higher levels. I really appreciate and admire that she started an open conversation.”
Barry Libenson
Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Land O’Lakes
Vision in Action: Barry Libenson is responsible for aligning Land O’Lakes’ technology strategy with the company’s business objectives and has been instrumental in moving the company’s IT resources to a highly efficient, centralized operating model. “The partnership between the technology organization and the business has dramatically improved the customer experience across all of our lines of business,” says Libenson, who completed a multi-million dollar ERP implementation that not only enhanced the customer experience, but also increased overall business productivity. He also recently completed a transformation project for providing business intelligence on tablets to 400 sales people in the field sales organization. “Whether it is delivering better mobile solutions or a better web experience, our focus on the customer and the use of technology to enhance that interaction has been a huge step forward,” he says.
On the Horizon: Like many companies, Land O’Lakes places a strong emphasis on delivering better insights back to the business through the use of business intelligence platforms. “Our goal is to provide the business with what it needs in the most flexible and easy-to-use way possible,” says Libenson. “This will allow us to more effectively serve the customer across all our lines of business.”
Leadership Philosophy: Libenson believes that two fundamental philosophies create the trust and accountability that are critical to succeed: “Always do the right thing, even when it may not be the most popular, and always hire the best people you can because they are the ones that get things done.”
Business Role Model: Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Andy Grove. “I believe all four are icons in the technology world… they were able to propel their companies to incredible levels of success,” closes Libenson.
George Telegadis
Managing Partner & Chief Operating Officer
Ah Goo Baby, LLC
Vision in Action: George Telegadis’ entrepreneurial spirit enabled Ah Goo Baby, LLC to grow in a time when most small businesses were closing. Today, he manages manufacturing, distribution, legal and operations for the company, which distributes luxury baby products to more than 30 countries. The fully scalable outsourced infrastructure that this former entertainment attorney established allows Ah Goo Baby to compete with larger manufacturers on both price and volume, while retaining low direct overhead. “This is the future of the American manufacturing business — virtual, nimble and quickly adaptable,” he explains.
On the Horizon: Ah Goo Baby will soon become Global Organic Textile Standard Certified (GOTS), a leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers. The certification will allow Ah Goo Baby to access the natural/green sales channel at both big box and independent levels. “Although it can be cheap and easy to simply greenwash your products, we want to instead continue the trust that both wholesale buyers and end consumers have in our brand by providing only the best in quality, while maintaining an affordable price point and a modern flair for style,” he explains. “That takes the time and the will to do it right — a trait lost in many larger manufacturers and something we expect we will be rewarded for in long-term brand loyalty.”
Leadership Philosophy: “It is incumbent upon the leadership of any company to foster a trusting and collaborative environment that spurs creativity. To truly innovate, you have to give employees enough room to make mistakes. People who don’t make mistakes from time to time aren’t taking creative risks, and a lack of creativity and risk-taking can kill a high-growth small manufacturer.”
Kevin Uhls
Director, Supply Chain IT & ERP
GE Appliances
Vision in Action: GE Appliances is investing more than $150 million in the next generation of business systems to bring superior value to its consumers and retailers. Kevin Uhls is driving the five-year transformation by rethinking the fundamentals of business. He leads multi-track teams in a collaborative setting to bring the best out of all parties. For example: “We stole shamelessly from our LEAN manufacturing initiatives — eliminating wasteful, unnecessary processes — to change our IT project framework,” says Uhls. Some of the borrowed LEAN principles include Gemba (meaning going to the real place where the work is being done), 5 Whys, 7 Ways and the Andon method (raising concerns immediately and to the appropriate audience to get issues resolved). “Our new way of driving IT projects allows us to pivot quickly, change direction, scope or process to improve delivery and drive value to our business sooner,” says Uhls. “We also reduce risk by minimizing scope and building with a philosophy of good is good enough versus building the big bang solution.”
On the Horizon: “Simplification,” says Uhls. “Over the years, we have met consumer needs with pure brute force. We are now driving out-of-the-box solutions to deliver those needs, simplifying the way we work externally and internally, as well as laying the foundation for our future needs at GE Appliances.”
Leadership Philosophy: “Listen, learn and improve every day,” says Uhls. “This drove the change in the way we deliver IT solutions.”
Business Role Model: Uhls holds great admiration for GE Appliances’ production line operators. “For the last 30-plus years, we asked them to just do as we ask. Now, we depend on them to help us learn and teach us how to improve the product we deliver customers.”
Dave Wagner
Vice President of External Partner Development
General Mills Corporation
Vision in Action: As part of General Mills' open innovation strategy, Dave Wagner helped to put in place a dedicated External Partner Development team. “We have a team of extremely talented people with increasingly strong business acumen," he says. "They are working in virtually every corner of the company, helping us acquire the best goods and services the world has to offer. And we are working closer than ever with outside partners to fuel mutual growth through open innovation, effectiveness and efficiency. I’m proud that our people, and the thousands of partners we represent, are increasingly strategic enablers for our company.” Many of General Mills’ successful product introductions can be traced back to collaboration with key partners, like the Weight Watchers-endorsed line of Progresso Light soups.
On the Horizon: General Mills is working to develop even deeper alliances with key partners. “I believe we are just beginning to unlock the full potential of our collaborations,” says Wagner. “We are working to develop new approaches to drive deeper integration of business plans and business operations to drive mutual benefit for General Mills and our partners.”
Leadership Philosophy: Wagner is a strong believer in “Servant Leadership”. He says, “Our purpose is to serve the needs of our business and prepare the next generation of leaders to do the same, leaving things better than where we started. I encourage my leaders to ‘Know the Way, Go the Way, Show the Way and Go Away!’”
Business Role Model: Simply stated, the entrepreneur. “The dedication, resourcefulness and resilience of the entrepreneurs that we work with inspire me every day," says Wagner. "On my team, I seek to develop people who understand this type of business leader and aspire to work like them.”