The FMCG Guys

Zakir Karim, VP Functional Nutrition South Asia at Unilever, based in Mumbai, is a Portuguese national with a fascinating background. He started his career in his native Portugal, where he grew within the ranks of the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate. Later on, he went international (Netherlands, France, now India) and developed a taste and speciality for business turnarounds.

He joins the pod to speak about:

• His learnings in India (so far!) and how it compares to Europe
• The impressive and not-so-well-known dimension and footprint of Hindustan Unilever
• A unique family background and his career beginnings
• Developing a speciality in business turnarounds
• What does turning around a business look like? Developing a framework
• The impact of Digital on being a GM

What comes to mind when you think of Cannabis? Rico Uesluek, CEO of Marry Jane, one of Europe's largest producers, joined Daniel to speak about the state of the category and where it's headed to. With a background in Coca-Cola and Logitech, he will challenge many of your preconceptions through:

• His transition from small business to large blue-chip to CEO in the up-and-coming Cannabis industry
• The state of affairs of Cannabis in Europe
• What categories and channels Marry Jane operates in
• How they are building a company in cannabis with FMCG best practices

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Olivier Proust is a Suppy Chain leader that's specialized in transforming Operations of mid-sized multinationals. Currenlty responsible for Conair's (the owner of Babyliss) Supply Chain for EMEA, he joins Daniel and Efrain to explore the secrets behind change and why enjoys working in this size of Consumer Goods companies.

In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• Being French yet starting a career Canada and making it back to Europe later in his career
• Why he prefers working with mid-sized companies instead of the large FMCGs
• The main areas of disruption in today's supply chain
• His experience managing end-to-end Supply Chain Transformations
• How he inspires, leads and attracts talent

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Does Digital Transformation have to be hard? Is there a way to dodge some of the common headaches and understand the reality versus the myths?

Watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKP3JMn8nzU&t=2057s

Meet Tomasz Kozlowski, the VP of Global Sales at SoftServe Business Systems. He’s not just any expert; he’s a mythbuster who’s spent the last 15 years helping FMCG companies find clarity in the complicated world of tech. In this episode, co-hosted by Daniel and The CPG Guys' Peter VS Bond we review the most common digital transformation myths, such as:

• Digital Transformation is all about Technology
• It will solve all my sales problems
• It's only for the Modern Trade Channel
• Only large corporations can drive this change
• Immediate ROI is guaranteed
• We are tech advanced because we have a lot of systems
• Data is the basis for Digital Transformation
• ChatGPT will help you solve serious problems

Are you ready?

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Daniel is joined by guest co-host David Sloff in a conversation with FMCG Retail Expert and former Coca-Cola CCO Europe Jacques Van Cauwenberge in this conversation. With him, we explore the current challenging scenario between FMCG Brands and Supermarkets in Europe, and also what's the route to a more strategic, positive and, ultimately, profitable and growth-oriented relationship.

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business Systems.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

Topics covered:

• The change in shopping behavior, surge of different formats and other trends that have shaped the current challenging scenario between Retailers and Brands
• The impact on Retailers and reactions to protect their P&Ls
• Conflicts between brands and retailers: why they happen and the negative consequences for everyone
• A value creation agenda to go back to sustainable growth

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Revenue Management is one of the hot topics in the Consumer Goods industry this 2024. Gustavo Mendonça, who has driven transformation at the function at Kraft Heinz, joins us to discuss why this function is strategic and how it's being transformed by digital.

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business System.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

In this episode you'll learn about Revenue Management's crossroad with digital through:

• The growing influence of Revenue Management in global FMCG's
• Variables companies consider when pricing
• Decision-making factors in promotion and trade expenditures
• How digital transformation is impacting revenue management and what tools are relevant

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Paul Wright has done it all: big business, small companies, run his own business... and now heads up advertising for Uber (their classic ride app plus Eats), a unique opportunity when you have a customer base of 150 million users! He joins us to speak about how they are building a robust and attractive media offering for FMCG and Retail brands.

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business System.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

Topics covered in this episode:

• Paul's career
• Running different adds depending on the customer's journey on the ride app
• Building an ecosystem across their two main platforms
• Data measurement
• Opportunities for FMCG, Retail and non-endemic brands

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Nicolas Kroeger, one of Europe's top voices in Retail Trends and current ad interim Chief Digital Officer at Manor AG, Switzeland's largest Department Store, joins Daniel live in Barcelona to go over what's happening in Retail in the old continent.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ik6mmBdRz8

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business System.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Europe's Retail Situation today amid inflation, old merchandise pilings, low margins and other post-covid antics!
• Potential ways out of the current scenario
• Looking towards the store of the future and learnings from NRF
• Tech (AI) in Retail
• How to get a better understanding of the consumer

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Ever wondered what running supermarkets in a remote country like Iceland looks like? Daniel was lucky enough to learn this in this fascinating in-person interview live from Keflavík. Our guest (and host, in this occasion!) isGunnur Gunnarsdóttir, who runs both Retail and Human Resources at Samkaup, one of the island's main players in FMCG Retail with a number of banners.

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business System.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

Listen in, transport yourself to Iceland and learn about:

• Gunnur's career path from Human Resources Manager to heading up a Retail Organization
• Iceland's FMCG market: Retail Footprint, Challenges and Opportunities for brands
• Samkaup's mission of serving the entirety of Iceland's population even at a financial cost
• HR initiatives in diversity, continuous learning and talent attraction
• Omni-channel initiatives and partnership with Lobyco in Loyalty

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Can HR truly become a strategic powerhouse, shaping the narrative and direction of a global company? Join Daniel as he explores this question withMauricio Pordomingo, a Human Resources and Talent Leader in FMCG, most notably at Pepsico. Broadcasting live from Barcelona, they delve into the evolving role of HR and its potential to be a game-changing force in the corporate realm.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvGf3ya0qaQ

This Episode is brought to you bySoftserve Business System.Start a conversation about fact-based digital transformation today by visitinghttps://softservebs.com/

Topics covered:

• The role of Human Resources in a global FMCG company and why it can fall into the trap of becoming operational
• A Human Resources Leader as an advisor to the C-Level and the CEO
• Talent: managing succession planning, balancing internals and externals
• Leveraging Technology in HR: the impact of AI
• Embedding DEI into a company's culture

More:

• Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fmcgguys/
• Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/
• Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez
• Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian