BRAVE COMMERCE – Mars Wrigley’s Neil Reynolds on Building Global Digital Commerce from the Ground Up

Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Sarah Hofstetter (Profitero), Christina Vail (Profitero, guest co-host)
Guest: Neil Reynolds, Global Chief Customer & Digital Commerce Officer, Mars Wrigley

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Neil Reynolds’ journey shaping Mars Wrigley’s global digital commerce capabilities from scratch. Hosts Sarah Hofstetter and guest co-host Christina Vail discuss career arcs in CPG and eCommerce, the importance of customer focus, and dig deep into how leaders like Neil are confronting change, scaling innovation, and integrating AI thoughtfully across the organization. Neil shares actionable insights on building teams, investing in soft skills, and the bravery required to lead transformation at scale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of Digital Commerce Roles at Mars Wrigley

[08:50]

• Neil’s broad role covers global customer capabilities, digital commerce, category leadership, shopper marketing, and “perfect store” strategies.
• Focus: Building win-win partnerships, enabling sales teams worldwide, and scaling innovation.

Quote:

“Ultimately we are building the capabilities which will enable us to win with our customers, build better partnerships and build those new frontier capabilities which will secure our growth for next time.”
— Neil Reynolds [08:50]

Connecting the Consumer Journey & Cross-Functional Collaboration

[11:27]

• Success requires breaking down silos between marketing, sales, and brand.
• The focus: Winning “across every stage of the consumer journey.”
• Teams should operate as a “well-oiled machine,” not isolated disciplines.

Quote:

“There isn’t a silo of marketing, a silo of sales. There is just one well oiled machine—or getting over time to a better oiled machine—which takes us in that direction.”
— Neil Reynolds [11:27]

Building Careers in Digital Commerce & Advice for Ambitious Talent

[12:21, 14:46]

• Neil’s three guiding career questions:
  1. What energizes you?
  2. What do you want to learn?
  3. What do you bring to the role?
• Early exposure to customer leadership and end-to-end P&L responsibility as essential foundations.
• Advice: Be intentional about your career, but also open-minded and not married to a specific next step—your best future role might not exist yet.

Quote:

“One of the unlocking thoughts for me has been maybe quite often my next best role isn’t invented yet.”
— Neil Reynolds [14:46]

The Importance of Soft Skills, Lifelong Learning, and Crucial Conversations

[16:33 – 19:41]

• Mars invests heavily in lifelong learning and leadership development, with an emphasis on soft skills.
• Key soft skills: Engaging others, driving clarity, and “confronting reality” (not shying away from tough conversations).
• Navigating global teams requires cultural sensitivity and the ability to level-set in group debate.

Quote:

“Quite often in a conversation, there may well be reluctance to step into the hard nuance, the hard center of the debate… I would go, okay, timeout now. Let’s just confront reality.”
— Neil Reynolds [18:27]

• Sarah calls “confront reality” a crucial tool for psychological safety and team health.

Practical AI Integration in CPG and Commerce

[20:15 – 23:05]

• Mars views AI as a critical (but not magic) lever for freeing up capacity and speeding up insights, NOT for replacing jobs.
• Priorities:
  • Automating low-value, repetitive tasks (e.g., data crunching, digital shelf content creation)
  • Sharpening “next best actions” with data-driven recommendations
  • Using AI to scale learning and development, e.g. AI-powered training/coaching agents
• The challenge: Moving from “100 ideas to three or four use cases” that can scale.

Quote:

“How could AI start to transform how we work... How might AI be a solve to get to those insights more quickly?”
— Neil Reynolds [20:15]

• Hosts agree: Anchor any AI implementation in a genuine business problem—not just chasing technology for its own sake.

Bravery in Leadership: Taking Risks and Embracing the Unknown

[24:29–26:52]

• Neil describes a pivotal career crossroads: The brave decision to leave a comfortable, familiar business role for a global, transformative challenge at Mars.
• The new role required building a global function from scratch, rallying the organization, and operating far outside his comfort zone.
• Outcome: It became the backbone for future growth and digital leadership at Mars.

Quote:

“It was a brave move because it was so, so different in three different ways… taking a big, bold leap… has really powered me on. And genuinely, I look back every day and I’m thankful that I made that call.”
— Neil Reynolds [26:52]

• Sarah: “Mars is super thankful they made you that offer. Who else would be better to be advancing the way that you have been advancing than somebody who comes with those ingredients.” [27:22]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Career Advice
  “What energizes you, what do you want to learn, and what are you going to bring to that role?” — Neil Reynolds [01:30, 12:21]
• On Team Culture
  “If you feel like you are not on the receiving end of crucial conversations… that’s what makes a company political.” — Sarah Hofstetter [17:29]
• On AI Adoption
  “We have to look at that whole idea of confronting reality and say, okay, well, now what needs to be true… What are the skills I need to have for my job in order to make that successful?” — Sarah Hofstetter [23:05]
• On Bravery
  “Not so sure about that… but actually, how much have you learned from it?” — Neil’s wife, relayed by Neil Reynolds [26:52]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Neil Reynolds’ 3 Career Questions: [01:30], [12:21]
• Guest Intro & Role Explained: [08:50]
• Consumer Journey & Collaboration: [11:27]
• Building a Career & The Unknown Next Role: [14:46]
• Soft Skills & Confronting Reality: [16:33]–[19:41]
• AI for Business Impact: [20:15]–[23:05]
• Bravery & Career Crossroads: [24:29]–[26:52]

Episode Takeaways

• Career Growth: Embrace ambiguity, focus on what energizes you, and stay open to roles that may not yet exist.
• Commercial Leadership: Winning in digital commerce requires cross-functional collaboration, curiosity, and customer-centricity.
• Team Building: Invest in soft skills, foster open conversations, and create psychological safety.
• Innovation with AI: Start with the business problem; AI is an enabler, not a replacement.
• Bravery: True leadership means taking risks, embracing uncomfortable challenges, and learning from bold moves.

Recommended for:
Anyone in CPG, digital commerce, or career transitions who wants authentic leadership lessons, practical AI strategies, and a deep dive into building global capabilities at enterprise scale.