Bryan Gilbert Email & Phone Number

Excelsior, MN, US

Greater Chicago Area, IL, US

• Established and led the Customer Growth Insights team, supporting Mondelez’s Warehouse and Central Region Independent Grocery business, including UNFI, AWG, and 20+ independent grocery retailers for 4 Categories.
• Led both internal as well as customer facing presenations in support of 3 Mondelez Customer Vice Presidents and 19 Mondelez Account Managers, delivering insights based assortment, presentation and merchandising.
• Utilized syndicated data tools, internal POS data, and proprietary Mondelez shopper insights research to deliver robust business analysis and actionable recommendations.
• Designed and implemented standardized tools, including weekly/monthly KPI reporting for Nielsen-releasable customers, Category Review templates, and quarterly business reviews.
• Created Joint Business Planning presentations and provided strategic assortment and placement recommendations, directly influencing retailer decisions and category performance.
• Led, coached, and developed 2 direct reports while mentoring multiple Leadership Development Associates, fostering future leaders within the organization.

Greater Chicago Area, IL, US

• Led a diverse team of six Category Captains, Category Advisors, and Shelf Management Specialists supporting the Cookie and Cracker, Confection, and Cough categories for Target, Albertsons, and WinCo.
• Utilized syndicated data tools (Numerator, Nielsen, IRI), internal POS data, and proprietary Mondelez shopper insights research to deliver robust business analysis and actionable recommendations.
• Executed category reviews, Joint Business Planning, and developed insights based, shopper-focused strategies that aligned with both Mondelez and customer objectives.
• Fostered an inclusive, insights-driven team culture, enhancing collaboration and innovation.
• Earned recognition as a trusted partner and was awarded Category Captain by Albertsons for the Cookie and Cracker Category.
• Selected by Albertsons as the first manufacturer to supply a vendor-supported Category Advisor, collaborating directly with their national team onsite at Albertson’s HQ in Boise, Idaho

Greater Chicago Area, IL, US

• Led a team of two Category Captains supporting Target’s Cookie & Cracker category, driving shopper-focused insights and strategies to achieve Mondelez and Target’s objectives.
• Recruited, trained, and onboarded six new Category Managers, building a high-performing team.
• Received two Vice President awards for Thoughtful Assortment Management and Assortment Optimization.
• Partnered with Target on pilot projects, including DOMO and Enhanced Access, advancing innovation in category management.
• Appointed to Target’s Category Management Advisory Board and instructed classes on Category Review and Transition Process.
• Mentored new Category Managers, fostering talent development and leadership within the team.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, US

• Led category strategy for Target’s $1B Front End and Company Space team, driving collaboration across buyers, fixture design, and prototyping teams.
• Spearheaded the rollout of “Project Go” to 1,000 stores, projected to deliver $40M (+4%) annual sales growth and increase Hershey’s front-end item exposure by 15%.
• Partnered with Target Express team to enhance store design, queue line flow and space allocation to improve shopper experience.
• Directed the design and implementation of under-the-counter merchandising at secondary pay points and managed a virtual reality project for executive walkthroughs.
• Developed merchandising plans for self-checkout expansion to 1,000 stores and co-created a wellness checklane strategy.
• Served on Target’s Category Management Board of Directors, creating onboarding and training curriculum for new category managers and teaching buyer collaboration best practices.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, US

• Partnered with Target's everyday and senior candy buyers to drive strategies for an $800M category, optimizing assortment, pricing, presentation, and space planning.
• Presented category reviews, financial updates, and strategic insights at weekly sales meetings, earning recognition as a best-in-class Category Captain.
• Secured a seat on Target's Category Management Board and was named Vendor of the Year in 2013.
• Mentored new Category Captains and supported insight pilot programs to foster innovation.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, US

• Partnered with seasonal candy buyer and key stakeholders to develop and execute Halloween and Valentine’s category strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Provided assortment, presentation, pricing, and space recommendations to drive category growth.
• Recognized for excellence with the Target Partnership Excellence Award (2010) and nominated for Target’s Best Category Captain Award (Fall 2011) at the Category Management meeting.

Greater Chicago Area, IL, US

• Provided strategic recommendations on assortment, presentation, pricing, and promotion for the Pizza category
• Analyzed shopper trends and behaviors, identifying key opportunities through insights derived from Nielsen scan and panel data, Supervalu sales and loyalty card data, NPD National Eating Trends, Kraft internal.

Minneapolis, MN, US

• Developed adjacencies and built planograms for 10 annual Company Space events using Prospace.
• Partnered with internal signing partners to create event specific signing packages.

Minneapolis, MN, US

• Responsible for driving internal intercept and fit processes for the company. Developed intercept and fit training for BAs, MCs and MPD. Trained and supervised 4 Planogram Room Coordinators.

Minneapolis, MN, US

Delivered golden financial performance for fiscal year 2004 in Target's Department 63 (Shampoo, Conditioning, and Hair Styling Aids). Department Forecast captain, department Sales Plan captain, department Ad captain, and HB/RX Divisional New Store captain.

Minneapolis, MN, US

Delivered golden financial performance for fiscal 2003 in Target's Department 37/52 (Cosmetics and Fragrances). Divisional New Store captain.

Minneapolis, MN, US

Developed and implemented inventory management processes for Top 2500 items in Target's Department 55 (Candy). Received Best Merchandising Team Award – 2001. Managed 172 Top 2500 items.