Sarah Hofstadter (2:50)

I have always wanted to be a growth leader and I've had my moments of growth leadership. I have ended up in a couple of turnarounds that I thought were not turnarounds when I joined the company.

Rachel Tippograph (3:01)

Oh, wow. They really fooled you in the interview process.

Sarah Hofstadter (3:04)

Yeah, I mean, I mean, I can talk about it now, but Profitero, ultimately, when I got there, was in many cases a turnaround. Like it just had a lot of the right ingredients, but the recipe was just not there. And so sometimes you got a lot of like, different disparate parts of an organization, even if you check the boxes in your due diligence on all of the ingredients. My blind spot was I missed the questions about the recipe, I would say. And then in other instances, like when I got to 360, I. It was like, you know, it was rocket ship. It was 5 million when I got there and it was 200 million when I left. I'm guessing you're all worth all the time.

Rachel Tippograph (3:46)

That's my preference. But obviously operating at the center of media and commerce, like, even as a founder who built something from the ground up, you had to pivot and make really tough decisions and go through so many iterations. So I would say I have the experience of both. I prefer growth. That's where I personally get my joy and energy from.

Sarah Hofstadter (4:10)

Yeah, well, you. Each one of those comes with a high degree of combining vision with like I used to say this in my old job and somebody had just referenced it on LinkedIn. The difference between seeing big ideas and getting shit done, it's the SBI versus the gsc.

Rachel Tippograph (4:26)

Oh, I love that post. One of your former. Your former folk.

Sarah Hofstadter (4:30)

Yeah. So, you know, is that person an sbi? Do they see big ideas or are they a gsd? Do they get shit done? There's a time at every company where you need more of one and less of another. Or as a leader, you need to lean more into one versus the other. You got to be ambidextrous once you get to a leadership role. But saying, you know, we're going to go to the moon is one thing. The path to getting there is totally different. And you've had this both as a growth leader, but you've also had that as you've incorporated other companies and capabilities into your organization. And in that case, if you're going to buy a company or if you're going to sell a company, you got to have the sbi. But one of the reasons most acquisitions fail, because nobody gets it done 100%.

Rachel Tippograph (5:16)

It's interesting now being on the other side of the coin where we're being integrated into a larger company and what's just so abundantly clear is communication is paramount. If people feel blindsided by anything, but especially the things that matter to them, like pay well being, how to get work done, those things just create exhaustion in the system, which even if someone innately wanted to get shit done, they just get tired from it. And so as a leader, you gotta operationalize change so people don't get exhausted by it. We're about to bring Amy onto the show, who is very comfortable with this model. And if you listen closely, I feel like she actually articulates a really nice playbook on how to operationalize change.

Sarah Hofstadter (6:10)

We talk about the world's biggest brands. You might not have heard of Ms. Can America, but I'm confident that you've got at least a handful of their iconic products in your pantry. Amy, thank you so much for joining us today.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (6:22)

Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be on the podcast and to speak with the brave Commerce audience and team.

Sarah Hofstadter (6:30)

Well, they are in for a treat because one of the things that I really would love to kick off about is talking about your more recent career breadth of what's been happening, because you have a beautiful resume and you guys should all check her out on LinkedIn, no question about it. But of late, there's a much broader remit that you have added. And so this idea of a chief customer officer in many organizations can mean, be a nice way of saying head of sales, but for you, it means so much more. It's got sales, it's got marketing, it's got rgm, it's got R and D, demand, planning, innovation. It's fabulous. And it's a reflection of kind of where I think Rachel and I see the world going. So now that your remit is so much broader, how have you shifted the way you think about it? Or are there any, like, mythbusters that might be worth sharing?

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (7:24)

This is really a very meaningful question. And without a doubt, this new role for me personally, professionally, has really stretched and pulled and pushed. And I would say first and foremost, for me, probably the quickest and deepest understanding as you go into a role that's a chief commercial officer, whether you call it, you know, chief revenue officer, it's really not about just the number anymore. It's about approaching this type of role with a lot of humility and curiosity. One of the things I can say very clearly is winning a growth mindset across an organization. It's not a one single function responsibility, nor is it one single function is going to carry the day. Commercial success, to me, what I have learned immediately is probably the ultimate team experience. And so as I have come into this role, what does that mean for me? Is one, having the, what I would say, humility to lean on the subject matter experts across my team, across the leaders, in order to find the ways that we're going to pivot and unlock as a full commercial team. So right away it's not, trust me, we have to deliver the numbers, we have to deliver the growth, but it's about having that humility and quite honestly, respect for what each of the different functions will deliver across the commercial journey.

Sarah Hofstadter (9:01)

So within that, as you look at some of the newer areas that you've led, if you don't mind my asking, is there something that really surprised you that you're like, wow, I did not realize how deep this particular thing goes. Maybe it's innovation, maybe it's. I don't know, I feel like RGM is like one of the things that everybody talks about internally, nobody talks about externally, but I can be wrong.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (9:22)

What actually stood out to me is how disconnected everything is. Meaning. And I wouldn't say this is miscon specific.

Sarah Hofstadter (9:29)

Oh, definitely not whatever you're about to say, because I think I know where you're going. Yes, you may be bearing your soul, but I'm sure there are a lot of people that are listening to this episode and their heads are just nodding along wherever they are.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (9:41)

So you go, I hope so. I don't see this as miscon specific. And having spent a tremendous time in this industry and space, what I would say it's amazing the things that we accomplish at cpg knowing I think every organization probably struggles with some silos, some built in, you know, just kind of functional approaches and the way that they're tackling even the same problem. So to me, the big Eye opener has been one.

Rachel Tippograph (10:10)

Wow.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (10:10)

We've driven a lot of success in that kind of landscape. But if we're really, really going to get to the next level, that I think quite honestly, as we see all the changes in autonomous retail things happening, it's honestly, for us as individuals, regardless of the company we're in, it is forcing a new level of working as a business partner, both internally and externally, across the landscape. So to me, when you say, hey, is anything really stood out? What stood out to me is just, I think across the businesses and industries. We have a really as humans ways kind of defined set ways of working that requires all of us to stretch differently. So that to me was a big aha. I'm also happy to share some defining moments in my career that I think forced me to pivot out of those spaces. Which is why as I'm seeing this, I believe I've been able to recognize where and how we should start to shift.

Rachel Tippograph (11:09)

Absolutely want to double click on that in one second. But you mentioned something a bit earlier. You were like, I'm chief Customer Officer. Sometimes it's called Chief Revenue Officer. We've also seen it called Chief Growth Officer. So like curious your perspective on. On why Ms. Can went with the C the customer.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (11:28)

Well, it's actually commercial.

Rachel Tippograph (11:30)

Oh, it's commercial.

Sarah Hofstadter (11:30)

Sorry.

Rachel Tippograph (11:31)

So the other C. Yes, the other

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (11:33)

C. Why we went with really the commercial. To me that represents that broader and fuller scope of everything that's required. Because when you stay in the comfort customer, just the customer lens, I think it can overlook all of the requirements and quite honestly what a winning team has to bring to the table. Because if you can't click and bring all of your expertise across your supply chain, across your R and D, across your revenue management, if you can't find a way to bring that together and then provide that value to the customer, I think you will under realize your potential in the market. So that's why it's really the commercial and not the customer. Because the best way I'm going to serve the customer is by starting with the consumer and then making sure I have that full behind the scenes dependability and reliability to create a value proposition for the customer that will make them immediately gravitate to the brands and solutions that we have at NSCan.

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Rachel Tippograph (14:31)

so you took that commercial lens and you paired it with your curiosity to start to get to know the org and bring it together. How does that then translate into KPIs that the team is driving towards? Because what Sarah and I often see in the ecosystem is there's one exercise which is obviously putting a single leader and then creating a unified org chart, but that in practice, it's the KPIs that drive people's behaviors. So curious how you're tackling that.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (15:03)

Here's what I would say. I absolutely agree with that because if you do not have shared KPIs, you will automatically always behave in what I consider very fractional behaviors across the organization. Meaning you could have a functional sales team, a marketing team, an R and D team that could be knocking it out of the park and what their assigned KPIs were. But that doesn't mean it automatically leads to commercial growth and success, which is ultimately, you know, sustainable. Profitable revenue is critical for every organization. So I think first, you know, the recognition shared KPIs play a role in that. To me, I see it even a bit deeper. So what we've done at Miscon, as we've created in our annual planning process, the OGSMs this year, in addition to having those shared KPIs, it was more of a fundamental shift for the entire organization to understand. By far our first priority is driving sustainable revenue growth and then defining what each team's role within that will be. And it has allowed just within the commercial span of scope. As we went into our FY26 commercial planning we were speaking one the shared understanding and language of what that top priority is to we all understood what our teams and then individuals within our teams have to accomplish that is actually going to lead and deliver growth and get us out of that fractional kind of behavior and mindset. And then ultimately now that we have the shared KPIs on paper, to me that's just a measurement. It's more about that bigger way of working across our teams that I actually believe is what's most critical for us to drive that long term commercial success that we need.

Sarah Hofstadter (16:58)

As you think about that. So there's like all of these internal things that you've got to get alignment on and you know, the fact that there's so much fragmentation organizationally like you said, is not new to anybody. And if you are in a multi category cpg, it's just multiplied over and

Rachel Tippograph (17:14)

over and over again.

Sarah Hofstadter (17:15)

So you've got the internal stuff, then there's the consumer and there's changes in behaviors, there is massive economic pressure. So you've got headwinds coming from private label, you've got the big giants trying to outspend, you've got insurgents as coming off of you and Rachel being at Expo west. Insurgents who don't have all the legacy and scale. So how do you prepare misscan for something like this in this quote unquote new world, almost taking like a day one approach where you know, discovery, conversion, all of that is becoming more driven by algorithm than the human element of it all.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (18:07)

Yeah, that's, that's a big question and I think it's something that every CPG and quite frankly many business leaders, if it's not top of mind, we need to be thinking deeply about it and what that means because it's not just another tool in the toolkit how other changes have been in the past. And for me some of the steps we have taken in miscon personally what I've been accountable for is to ensure I can bring the entire organization along the journey with me. And part of this, you know, I think it's more intuitive for marketing and sales leaders. For my partners in supply chain, it, hr, legal, etc, it's first been about how do I ensure they understand the change in landscape. Because what that means is as one we adjust and change our team talent, our structures, our agency partners and ultimately the work that's going to occur. I need them on the journey with me because that's also going to bring change in what they need to support us In So one of the things first and foremost we did is we just kicked off our fiscal commercial share out across our leadership team. I was actually very thankful that we got to have retail geek Jason Goldberg join us. So the first thing we did is let's bring that in as a starting place for the broader organization to understand how things are changing in this retail landscape. And I can tell you that was a hit. And I had so many leaders there that were outside the sales and marketing scope that were not only intrigued, but, you know, you could see those questions, you know, starting to bubble up and wait, what will this mean? How does that impact this and understanding what those new consumer moments and journeys will be? And he was kind enough to answer questions for an additional hour after his presentation. And I can tell you the room was electric. So thanks to Jason. One, he helped me cover a ton of ground in one hour, and then secondarily, you know, helped me then get everyone on board with what some of these changes we are making and why are. And I can tell you this has been something as we've looked at our commercial journey as we start to make those changes and you know, how we're going to market, how we prepare our partnerships. I now believe that our organization is much more strongly grounded in what do they expect in the why.

Rachel Tippograph (20:46)

So you seem very comfortable with change.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (20:49)

Oh, extremely comfortable with change. Yes.

Rachel Tippograph (20:51)

It comes across a lot of leaders aren't for a variety of reasons. And so I imagine you do have to work with some people who might be less comfortable with change. It's just natural human behavior. And so talk about, like, where does this come from, your comfort level with change, and what have you found as effective ways to bring people along and

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (21:12)

get them more comfortable with it? I love that we're talking about this, because when change happens to someone, whether that's personal, professional, however change comes upon life, you know, you can have multiple reactions to that. And some people just jump right in, hey, I'm going to embrace the change. Here I go. I oftentimes see other people get paralyzed, and that can be very detrimental. The same as sometimes just blindly jumping in. So for me, yes, I love change. I'm comfortable in change. But it also requires, one, I think, first, being emotionally aware and okay and recognizing those moments. But then two, being able to take a step back with that executive discipline and presence to then say, yes, landscape's changing. Two, what does this mean? But then three, how do I start organizing myself as an individual and also my teams around those. What I would say inflection points. So then you can bring what I would say not only just a measured and disciplined approach to some of the things in the landscape, but also then inspire the right level of confidence. And I think it is so critical for leaders to understand that component that they set the tone, they set the pace. If they want a team that's inspired and can navigate through change at the right speed and agility, they have to personally demonstrate that. That also means having humility, knowing when to raise your hand for help. It also means recognizing there might be mistakes and embracing those mistakes and then pivoting into the next direction. And I think having some of those experiences in my career and then also that mindset has made me comfortable knowing, boy, if I get paralyzed, things really aren't going to work out. And then if I jump blindly, that may not work either. But then having that balance to know, making decisions and moving like that's not going to be an option. And then doing it with that right level, I would say of humility and candor back is actually critical. And I will never, you know, in my leadership journey, I will say never underestimate the importance that the leader sets for the tone and the inspiration 100%.

Rachel Tippograph (23:38)

And I agree, like inertia is the worst thing you can do in business. Like got to keep moving even if it's not the right decision. We could pick your brain all day about leadership, but we have to ask you our famous last question which is what's the bravest thing you've ever done?

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (23:54)

Oh yeah, this is one that I was really excited about this question and for me personally it means a lot when I give my answer. So for me, the bravest thing I have ever done incorporates both that stretch between personal and professional. So those who do know me personally know that I am the proud mother of 19 year old triplets. And so 19 year olds are adults. So in theory I've made it to some degree. So I have 19 year olds, triplet daughters, sophomores in college who are absolutely thriving in life. They're passionate and most importantly, they have found what is sparking their joy in the world. Now I say that that is the stretch of personal professional because what for me that is meant is I continue that journey towards an executive level career. And what I often share with many, what I would say emerging leaders who find themselves trying to balance the push and pull of, you know, family life, other personal interest is learn to play that long game. And when you learn to see that long game for your career in life, that is when you were absolutely going to unlock, I think the most beautiful things. And that for me has been the bravest thing I have done is to lean in in both Spears and I really today on this podcast just want to thank everyone in my both personal and professional network that has surrounded me with the support and guidance in order to take that journey so then I can share that is honestly the bravest thing I have ever done.

Sarah Hofstadter (25:38)

This whole, I don't know, I keep calling it balance thing, but the idea of playing the long game I think is something people don't talk about enough in that context. I've talked to a lot of people about what's right for right now and what's right for the long term. But I've never heard it articulated so beautifully as, as you just have. And so I love that. This is such a inspiring message to give to so many of our listeners and to this typograph here. New mommy.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (26:12)

Oh, congratulations.

Rachel Tippograph (26:14)

Thank you. New mom of one. I'm just like thinking about triplets right now and you go like that is incredible.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (26:22)

Thank you. I appreciate that. And if I could leave your listeners with one thing, you know, around those topics and the topics we've talked about today with the pace of change on agentic, you know, going into new roles, thinking about things differently in today's environment, what I would ultimately say is don't be afraid of the big challenges. That's when you're going to find true, meaningful experience. Experiences.

Rachel Tippograph (26:47)

Reach of that.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (26:48)

Yeah.

Rachel Tippograph (26:49)

Thank you, Amy. We're so appreciated for your time.

Amy (Chief Commercial Officer at Ms. Can) (26:51)

Oh, thank you. And thank you for having me. It's been a wonderful experience and thank you for all the listeners out there as well. Continue to success for you each.

Rachel Tippograph (27:01)

If you like what you heard and you want to listen to episodes from other people who really end the entire go to market function, go check out an episode we recorded a few months ago with Neal Reynolds from Mars. And don't Forget, share on LinkedIn. Tell a friend thanks for listening.

LinkedIn Ads Representative (27:34)

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Chelsea Bakken (28:07)

Does using social media ever make you feel like you're just yelling into an algorithmic void? That feeds have started to feel a lot less, you know, social? Well, we're doing something about it. I'm Chelsea Bakken, Head of Audience Development and Social at Adweek, and I'm so excited to invite you to Social media week this April 14th through 16th. We're bringing together creators, marketers and social leaders in a vibrant IRL space in New York City for three days of connection, collaboration and learning. You'll get the chance to dish on the latest tools and tricks, hear fresh perspectives on the year's most viral moments, and get the slot free inspiration you need to connect with your audience and optimize performance. Head to adweek.com events to learn more.

Jackie Cooper (28:49)

Hi, I'm Jackie Cooper, Global Chief Brand Officer at Edelman and the host of Touch of Truth, a new podcast launching on the Adweek Podcast Network. My dad gave me this incredibly smart piece of advice. Meet everyone once. As a result, I've met of the most fascinating and inspiring people on the planet. Now on Touch of Truth, we're coming centre stage and sharing the mic to experience stories of truth, insights and visions for the future that will challenge your way of thinking. Touch of Truth is available wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes come out every Tuesday. I do hope to see you there.