Liz Thomas's Location
Chicago, Illinois, United States, United States
Liz Thomas's Contact Details
Liz Thomas work email
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Liz Thomas personal email
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About Liz Thomas
As a strategic thinker and creative problem solver with almost 15 years of CPG experience in category management and brand building, I have a proven track record of managing P&Ls, driving growth and delivering results. I have developed long-term growth strategies for product portfolios, secured incremental distribution with major retailers, and led successful pricing and sizing roadmap initiatives. My expertise in consumer trends and competitive activity, as well as my ability to navigate complex organizational structures, has allowed me to effectively lead cross-functional teams and manage resources to prioritize big bets. Additionally, I am committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, transparency, and accountability in the workplace, and have provided leadership in these areas, most recently as the President of the General Mills’ Black Champions Network. With a strong focus on innovation and collaboration, I am dedicated to driving success in any project I take on.
Liz Thomas's Current Company Details
Liz Thomas Work Experience Details
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Senior Brand ManagerKellanovaChicago, Il, Us
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Manager, Corporate StrategyGeneral Mills Jul 2023 - PresentMinneapolis, Minnesota, Us -
Brand Manager - Betty Crocker Dinners & Sides And Meals & Baking Whitespace InnovationGeneral Mills Oct 2021 - Jul 2023Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us• Brand Manager responsible for the $350MM P&L and 3 direct reports• Proactively identified & developed a comprehensive 8-month LRP process for Helper/Salad/Potatoes including strategy, Strategic Revenue Management, Holistic Margin Management, Inno & Reno, Future of Meals &Plans• Developed the business strategies for Helper, Suddenly Salad & Potato businesses • Drove expansion of Helper, Salad and Potatoes in the Betty Crocker ecosystem • Leveraged & influenced GMI network to kick off Betty Crocker Savory tribes work with Global Design Officer • Led team through transition of sale to Eagle Foods• Led development of new innovation team to address gaps in Meals & Baking
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Senior Associate Brand ManagerGeneral Mills Dec 2019 - Oct 2021Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us• Sr. ABM managing the P&L for the Lucky Charms Franchise ($320MM), including brand strategy, innovation, pipeline development, renovation & partnerships• In 7 months, lead internal cross-functional team of 20, along with 3 multi-national external partners, in the strategy & commercialization of Just Magical Marshmallows (JMM), a never-been-done-before, $5MM incremental execution which drove Core Lucky +10% & gained ~ 1B impressions. Won BCN “Play to Win” award. Subsequently launched JMM 2.0 & 3.0• Built a 4-year marshmallow News Model pipeline from scratch by working differently to leverage external partnerships, internal ideas, and consumer & customer insights. Launched: Galactic Charms (2021) & Magic Gems (2022)• Diagnosed Lucky Charms double digit declines, which lead to the development of the new strategy that significantly changes the trajectory and LRP of the brand
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Associate Brand ManagerGeneral Mills Mar 2019 - Nov 2019Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us• ABM responsible for the $400MM General Mills Dairy portfolio for the Walmart, Kroger & eCommerce channels, including merchandising & distribution strategy, portfolio negotiations, brand activations & innovation pipeline• Lead the Kroger Innovation Review that grew distribution by +4 points (+11 SKUs). Achieved results by developing the story that showcased the power of our brands & their importance to Kroger• Collaborated with Yogurt leadership team to create $5MM of value creation ideas to aid in our negotiation with Walmart
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Associate Brand ManagerGeneral Mills Jul 2018 - Mar 2019Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us• ABM managing the P&L for Yoplait Innovation ($50MM), including strategy, innovation, renovation & partnerships• Created Yoplait’s News Model strategy which included partnering with Dunkin’ & MARS (Starburst) to co-create and commercialize 8 new SKUs. Starburst Yoplait was the #1 yogurt launch in 2020. • Recommended & gained alignment from leadership to discontinue Yoplait Mix-Ins via a thorough 4P analysis that also considered context from consumers & customers. Won BCN’s “Emerging Leader” award.
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Mba CandidateHarvard Business School Aug 2016 - May 2018Boston, Ma, Us -
Retail Category Development ManagerColgate-Palmolive Aug 2014 - Jul 2016New York, New York, Us- Oral Care Category Captain for CVS- Developed a system to quickly and efficiently analyze the 595 items in the Oral Care category utilizing internal sales and loyalty card data to ensure that CVS carried the correct Oral Care distribution, resulting in sales increasing by 5.8% in 2014- Collaborated with Shopper Marketing, 3rd Party Display Vendor and CVS to create and implement the Enamel Health regimen merchandiser, gaining top shelf placement on the shelf and resulting in a higher repeat rate vs. comparable new items- Managed and trained year-long intern in day-to-day tasks which included internal toothbrush analysis & promotional analysis -
Retail Category Development ManagerColgate-Palmolive Dec 2012 - Jul 2014New York, New York, Us- Oral Care, Dish Care and Liquid Hand Soap Category Captain for Sears Holdings Corporation (Kmart)- Conducted the first Oral Care Category Review in over 5 years which included analyzing sales trends and assortment resulting in 3.6% category growth, Colgate share growth in 6 of 10 categories and a Colgate Hall of Fame award for personal leadership and outstanding accomplishments- Utilized Nielsen syndicated data and Kmart loyalty card data to determine merchandising strategies for the Oral Care category. Updated the 95 Oral Care planograms versions in JDA planogramming software in less than two weeks- Appointed as one of two national JDA Space Planning software trainers after demonstrating knowledge of the tool and becoming the unofficial trainer in the Schaumburg, IL office
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Category Business Analyst IiiKimberly-Clark Corporation Oct 2011 - Dec 2012Irving, Tx, Us- Prepared and delivered category reviews to Delhaize which included in-depth analysis of category trends, merchandising optimization, category insights and promotional strategies to increase category growth- Provided the Customer Business Partner, Finance Analyst, Shopper Marketer and Brand Teams with actionable insights gleaned from Delhaize specific POS, Syndicated, Loyalty and Panel data to develop growth strategies for 2012 and 2013 across all DPSM metrics - Identified distribution opportunities for all Delhaize banners using POS, Syndicated, Loyalty and Panel data - Led monthly and quarterly category discussions with Delhaize’s Category Managers and Kimberly-Clark’s Customer Business Partner to drive the business at a category level and build relationships with the Delhaize Team- Utilized space management software in conjunction with POS, Syndicated and Loyalty data to deliver planogramrecommendations -
Category Business Analyst IiKimberly-Clark Corporation Feb 2011 - Oct 2011Irving, Tx, Us- Developed a “Best In Class” template for completing category overviews resulting in many of Kimberly-Clark’s North American sales teams presenting category results in a consistent and timely manner- Identified distribution opportunities for all Delhaize banners using Syndicated, POS, Loyalty and Panel data - Instrumental in selling in and helping launch U by Kotex Sleek and Slip-On Diapers by providing high level analysis on its impact to the category and the store- Developed a training program for new hires which included providing training on all tools and capabilities- Promoted to Category Business Analyst III after only 8 months in the position by demonstrating the depth and breadth of my analytical capabilities and presenting forward-thinking strategies around distribution and merchandising
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Category Business Analyst IKimberly-Clark Corporation Nov 2009 - Feb 2011Irving, Tx, Us- Utilized syndicated data and category insights to sell in first ever in-store National Brand display- Identified distribution opportunities for Grocers Supply and Brookshire using Syndicated, POS and Panel data
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Marketing And Communications SpecialistCrossmark Jun 2009 - Nov 2009Lewisville, Texas, Us-Short term assignment with Kimberly-Clark to better understand their marketing services partner, CROSSMARK-Collaborated with CEO and VP of Marketing on the monthly internal newsletter by writing and editing copy and sending the newsletter out to more than 15,000 CROSSMARK employees nationwide-Wrote and edited copy for internal announcements and external Press Releases-Organized, scheduled, wrote and edited copy for internal, bimonthly training video featuring members of the SLG -Wrote and edited copy for the new website and collaborated with website design company on layout and structure -
Section LeaderUniversity Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign Aug 2008 - May 2009Champaign, Il, Us-Selected from over 2800 undergraduate business students as one of 20 to lead a group of 15 freshman students in discussions involving corporate and social responsibility-Collaborated with Deans and professors on class content and procedures-Advised students on resumes, interviewing, College of Business events and overall college life -
Undergraduate Representative Of The College Of Business Dean SearchUniversity Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign Nov 2007 - Dec 2008Champaign, Il, Us-Selected from over 2800 College of Business Undergraduate students to serve as the undergraduate representative in the search-Interviewed nation wide candidates with Deans and Professors throughout the University-Provided input to committee members on selection of candidates whose goals and values matched the College of Business
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Philanthropy Chair Of Business CouncilUniversity Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign Sep 2007 - Dec 2008Champaign, Il, Us-Initiated and planned a campus wide philanthropy event titled I.M.P.A.C.T. Day-Raised over $4,000 in two months which resulted in students being able to attend I.M.P.A.C.T. Day for free-Managed a $4000 budget for the event by allocating resources to transportation, catering, t-shirts and venues-Coordinated over 100 student and corporate volunteers throughout the day-Organized committees and delegated tasks to members
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Business Career Services ParaprofessionalUniversity Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign 2007 - 2008Champaign, Il, UsWorked with Business Career Services (BCS) as a liaison between the Career Center and the Students. Responsibilities included marketing and assisting with Job Shadows, Mock Interviews and other BCS events.
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President Of Beautiful And Together Sisters (B.A.T.S.)University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign May 2006 - May 2007Champaign, Il, Us-Planned and coordinated a fashion show with over 100 student participants-Negotiated contracts with clothing and space vendors-Successfully managed fashion show within $3,500 budget-Effectively led the 10 person executive board as well as the 30 general members
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Territory Sales Manager InternPhilip Morris Usa Jun 2008 - Aug 2008-Created and implemented a system to increase brand equity for independent buying group-Analyzed the market to determine the best and most profitable way to create brand equity-Met with the VP of Marketing and the CEO of the buying group to present recommendations using nation wide data from the company’s data base-Recommendations in process of being implemented pending confirmation from distributors
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Territory Sales Manager InternPhilip Morris Usa Jun 2007 - Aug 2007-Managed 50 retail accounts and advised retailers on volume growth in stores with a potential of $250,000 in increased sales throughout territory-Sold and executed sales programs and promotions in retail accounts-Analyzed sales territory and determined cause of four tenths share loss -Created three programs to impede loss and grow share by a forecasted 3.8 points over a two year time period--Presented territory recommendations to PM management using retail specific financial data
Liz Thomas Skills
Management
Marketing
Microsoft Excel
Leadership
Data Analysis
Training
Marketing Strategy
Nielsen
Microsoft Word
Category Insights
Forecasting
Sales Operations
Public Speaking
Microsoft Office
Nielsen Nitro
Shopper Marketing
Sales
Powerpoint
Analysis
Analytical Skills
Competitive Analysis
Nielsen Answers
Jda
Rsi
Sip
Adview
Kc Mix
Icube
Catagory Management
Ad Hoc Reporting
Liz Thomas Education Details
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Harvard Business SchoolMaster Of Business Administration (Mba) -
Gies College Of Business - University Of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignSpanish
Frequently Asked Questions about Liz Thomas
What company does Liz Thomas work for?
Liz Thomas works for Kellanova
What is Liz Thomas's role at the current company?
Liz Thomas's current role is Senior Brand Manager.
What is Liz Thomas's email address?
Liz Thomas's email address is el****@****ail.com
What schools did Liz Thomas attend?
Liz Thomas attended Harvard Business School, Gies College Of Business - University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
What skills is Liz Thomas known for?
Liz Thomas has skills like Management, Marketing, Microsoft Excel, Leadership, Data Analysis, Training, Marketing Strategy, Nielsen, Microsoft Word, Category Insights, Forecasting, Sales Operations.
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