How Instant Pot Brands' Zsuzsanna Leber Is Knocking Down Silos and Getting Closer to Consumers
Kitchen appliance company Instant Pot Brands named Zsuzsanna Leber its EVP of marketing, e-commerce and consumer care last May as part of the brand’s overhaul.
The company had decided it was time for a shake-up, Leber tells CGT, and the effort brought in a fresh leadership team to reposition the brand around innovation and smarter solutions for home cooks.
About Instant Pot Brands
The company changed its name to Instant Pot Brands from Instant Brands as a result of a separation from former parent company Instant Brands, related to a bankruptcy filing.
Instant Pot Brands is now a standalone company under new ownership by Centre Lane Partners The company also named a new CEO, Chris Robins, last year.
Before the revamp, silos within core business areas led to fragmented and inconsistent customer experiences across all channels — a challenge the company sought to overcome by unifying functions under one EVP.
“They saw the need for someone who could seamlessly bridge core business pillars — product, marketing, e-commerce and support — under one strategic vision,” she says. As such, she was tasked with orchestrating end‑to‑end consumer experiences, from breakthrough cooking solutions to thoughtful post‑purchase care.
Everything now aligns, from product features to packaging and advertising, and enhanced consumer experiences provide a cohesive presence across both online and offline platforms to help foster trust and engagement, she says.
“We needed to bring some agility to e‑commerce and retail media, given the speed at which these areas evolve,” she says. “By bringing those functions in‑house, it allowed us to swiftly adapt campaigns to market shifts — a major advantage in today’s fast-paced digital environment.”
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A Shift in Strategy
Since then, Leber has taken on a new role, now serving as the company’s chief commercial officer.
It has been an evolution. At first, she was overseeing marketing and consumer support, but as the company realized that sales needed the same playbook, Instant Pot Brands expanded her responsibilities.
Now, marketing and sales are what she calls a “super-team.” This has resulted in clearer priorities, fewer “who was supposed to do that?” moments, faster decisions and more well-rounded team members learning each other’s roles.
A win-win all around, she says.
Getting Closer to the Consumer
To build that cohesive picture of Instant Pot Brand’s consumer audience, Leber launched a robust segmentation study to better understand who its customers are, where they spend their time and what’s important to them.
The effort relied on a mix of internal data and a quantitative study, pulling from website behavior, purchase panel insights (where do they purchase, lifecycle), social media profiling and CRM data.
Once the team defined its key, high-value segments, they used the insights to increase targeted outreach and tailor messaging and product features within several operations, including new product development, marketing campaign creative and media buying.
The company also used the insights to create a new visual design language that is just rolling out now, and focuses on sharper, more memorable visuals.
“It’s like upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone: same great taste, but sleek and modern.”
Growing the Brand’s Presence
Leber looks forward to continuing to work on the company’s long game, which includes:
- Rolling out innovations that make cooking easier
- Fueling an ecosystem that includes over 3,000 step-by-step recipes in its app
- Launching a revamped user-friendly website
- Conducting ongoing consumer research
- Building out one of the biggest Facebook communities in the industry
- Fostering strong partnerships with retailers to ensure consumers get exactly what they need at the right time
Because she brings a comprehensive background in consumer goods — working across marketing, branding and business development with companies such as Newell Brands, Danone and Procter & Gamble — she attributes the move from big corporate worlds to having given her a new perspective.
“I was excited to see how nimble a small, empowered team can be. With less red tape, everyone steps up and owns their role,” she says. “Add a bit of accountability, and people truly shine. It’s like being on a tight-knit sports team where everyone plays, supports and celebrates together.”
