Partnering with brand agency to craft a Brand Platform for creative storytelling and thought leadership campaigns to grow Brand awareness, reputation and unlock the brand to demand pathway for sales. Redefining and transforming the rapidly growing Marketing teams' workflow/process for collaborative cross functional success. Amplifying marketing's value-add to internal and external stakeholders.

Drawn to Ideal Living Management for its commitment to providing consumers with science-backed, environmentally and socially responsible products centered on quality wellness, I accepted the opportunity to help take my former client to its next level of growth and success. The D2C company’s product innovations include superfood nutrition, supplements, and air purification and water filtration products. In addition to navigating from a traditional direct response business model to digital-first, I recognized the need to create new strategies, processes, and infrastructure to accelerate growth and scale.To do this, I put the strategies, people, processes, and technologies in place, including strategic planning, brand management, and business intelligence; new brand launches, new channel development/expansion, expanding the internal staff and onboarding vendor agencies; and building out the tech stack including a CRM, marketing automation, and personalization. Highlights: ➣ Fueled revenue from $70M to $240M and profitability from $5M to $17M in just three years through innovative brand marketing and management. ➣ Generated millions of dollars in new incremental revenue by opening new revenue streams and expanding online channels including Amazon, Google Search/Shopping, email, thrive.com, iHerb.com, eBay, and Walmart.com. ➣ Implemented strategic planning companywide by evolving financial plans into strategic plans by grounding it in YoY analysis, new KPIs, and an understanding of what drives success and failures. ➣ Re-visioned Ideal Living and crafted narrative to reposition products into high-value brands through powerful storytelling. ➣ Instituted brand management discipline by training project managers to become brand stewards.

Armed with 10+ years of experience, I founded a consulting practice specializing in sizing, scoping, and concepting of new opportunities, research, insights, product innovation/commercialization, and brand management. Projects spanned primary/secondary research, segmentation models, market testing, predictive modeling, ideation workshops, innovation stage-gate process, growth roadmaps, brand positioning, go-to-market strategies for test launches, and much more. Key engagements:➣ Healthcare: Facilitated Cigna’s transformation from B2B model to consumer-centric business by creating a center of excellence and tools including global brand health tracker, advertising research, and new concept testing platforms.➣ Nonprofit: Reinvigorated American Heart Association’s legacy school fundraiser by growing participant excitement and revenue by leveraging social media, technology, and modernized curriculum to expand K-12 student involvement.➣ CPG: Decommoditized the white milk category and recaptured market share for Dean Foods by launching branded business Dairy Pure and introducing new value-added product innovations such as Tru Moo chocolate milk, Single Serve Chug, and coffee beverages.➣ B2B Food Service: Enabled Cargill Food Service Division to compete in value-added business with margin growth and customer diversification by creating new solutions such as egg category innovations and an acquisition strategy.➣ CPG: Built a three-year growth strategy for Kashi and Kellogg’s Bear Naked brand to develop a consumer strategy that delivered incremental penetration growth to their health/wellness portfolios.

Following my successes at PepsiCo, I joined Brinker International, a $4B holding company for large restaurant chains, including Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On The Border, and Maggiano’s. My role was dual in nature, as head of marketing for global brand strategy of a $1M international business (four brands, 200 stores, and 25 countries in MENA, LATAM, and APAC) and ensuring global franchisees spent adequate dollars on marketing and kept brand equities intact.I led an eight-member marketing team and built the infrastructure to generate brand excitement and drive profitable market growth. Key initiatives included strategic growth drivers, global consumer research, new planning processes and tracking systems, regional co-ops, localized promotional campaigns, and culturally relevant menu refreshes.Highlights:➣ Drove 15% YoY growth by increasing in-store traffic at restaurant chains and brand buzz in MENA and LATAM markets.➣ Grew global sales by 5% within 1st year of reinventing and launching a new, more relevant and globally acceptable menu.➣ Gained insights into changing consumer perceptions in MENA and LATAM and drove growth and profitability by conducting a landmark consumer study in these markets and focusing on new strategic imperatives such as lunch menus, home delivery, and more. ➣ Drove two new brand launches internationally (Macaroni Grill in MENA and On The Border in South Korea) through culturally relevant brand positioning and creative advertising/PR campaigns.

Indira Nooyi (former CEO and chairperson of PepsiCo) assembled a maverick group to analyze and drive innovations across all Pepsi brands and companies to enter the new health/wellness space without negatively affecting the company’s existing core business. As an invitee of the Insights and Innovations Group, I worked as a full-time consultant engaged in this analysis, consumer strategy, and innovation pipeline.Highlights:➣ Built segmentation model of health/wellness space to understand need states / mindset of consumers moving from nonhealthy foods/beverages.➣ Collaborated with M&A division to scope, size, and frame opportunities for acquisitions and partnerships. Acquired new technologies/brands to launch into new space, and market-tested new introductions.➣ Developed five-year innovation pipeline of nutritional snacks and beverages from concept to positioning to in-market feasibility. PepsiCo launched several new products/brands and carved out 58% of new growth from the new portfolio (Stacy’s Pita Chips, Naked Beverages, and Tropicana Fruit Snacks).

I joined an entrepreneurial venture for a 12-month period as one of five original partners to launch a community-based portal providing local services and connections back to India for Asian Indians. Following our acquisition by Rediff.com, I was retained to manage their international product and marketing teams and grow the brand in America; it became the preferred brand of Asian Indians living in America.

In this position, I elevated customer acquisition and retention by launching the “Best of CitySearch” campaign, which is still in use today.

My work at PepsiCo originally stems from my earlier career at Frito-Lay, a $10B division of PepsiCo. I worked on new concepts to generate incremental revenue streams for brands, including ideas that were ahead of their time in the health and wellness space, which is now a trillion-dollar market. Identified, scoped, and validated new opportunities to generate new incremental revenue including marketing to kids, baked snacks, and the positive nutrition platform. I also repositioned Sun Chips as a healthier “grain-based” snack brand, resulting in growth in penetration and repeat buys.

Conducted all market research, gathered consumer insights and market intelligence, helped brand group develop brand strategy and positioning for cat food brands like Meow Mix, Deli Cat, Cat Chow and Kitten Chow.