BRAVE COMMERCE — Mizkan’s Amy Luke Busker on Breaking Silos and Leading Through Change Without Losing Direction

Adweek | March 24, 2026 | Hosts: Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter | Guest: Amy Luke Busker, Chief Commercial Officer at Mizkan

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolving role of commercial leadership in CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) organizations through a deep conversation with Amy Luke Busker, Chief Commercial Officer at Mizkan America. Hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter guide a candid discussion on how to break down organizational silos, nurture an agile, growth-focused mindset, and operationalize change without losing organizational direction. Amy shares practical frameworks for leading through ambiguity, highlights the importance of humility and emotional awareness, and delivers advice on balancing personal and professional bravery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shift from Growth to Turnaround Leadership

• Growth vs. Turnaround Experiences
  • Sarah shares her unexpected journey from aspiring “growth leader” to unexpectedly helming turnaround situations.

    “I have ended up in a couple of turnarounds that I thought were not turnarounds when I joined the company…They had all the right ingredients, but the recipe was just not there.”
    (Sarah Hofstetter, 03:01)

  • Rachel reflects on leadership’s dual requirements: visionary thinking and operational execution (“SBI”: See Big Ideas vs. “GSD”: Get Shit Done).

    “There’s a time at every company where you need more of one and less of another…You gotta be ambidextrous once you get to a leadership role.”
    (Sarah Hofstetter, 04:30)

2. Breaking Organizational Silos: The Expanded Commercial Officer Role

• Redefining the Chief Commercial Officer
  • Amy’s remit covers sales, marketing, RGM, R&D, demand planning, and innovation—a testament to the increasingly integrated demands of the modern commerce function.

    “It’s really not about just the number anymore. It’s about approaching this type of role with a lot of humility and curiosity…Commercial success, to me, is probably the ultimate team experience.”
    (Amy, 07:24)

• Biggest Learning:
  • Amy’s greatest surprise was the level of disconnection between different functions.

    “What actually stood out to me is how disconnected everything is…every organization probably struggles with some silos.”
    (Amy, 09:22)

3. The Power and Practice of Shared KPIs

• Aligning Incentives for Genuine Collaboration
  • Amy emphasizes the futility of function-specific targets when true commercial growth demands system-wide cohesion:

    “If you do not have shared KPIs, you will automatically always behave in what I consider very fractional behaviors.”
    (Amy, 15:03)

  • At Mizkan, they’ve instituted annual planning with an OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies, Measures) framework—clarifying that “sustainable revenue growth” is the organization’s north star, and each team understands their role in delivering it.

4. Bringing the Whole Organization Along: Change Management in Action

• Building Understanding Across Functions
  • To prepare Mizkan for the realities of modern commerce, Amy led cross-functional leadership sessions—such as hosting retail expert Jason Goldberg—to align everyone (including non-commercial teams like supply chain and IT) on the shifting landscape.

    “For me, some of the steps we have taken in Mizkan…is to ensure I can bring the entire organization along the journey with me…you could see those questions…starting to bubble up and wait, what will this mean?”
    (Amy, 18:07)

5. Comfort with Change: Framework for Leadership Resilience

• Personal Approach to Embracing Change
  • Amy describes her proactive, emotionally-aware stance toward change—distinguishing between paralysis and reckless action, and stressing the leader’s role in “setting the tone”:

    “Yes, I love change. I’m comfortable in change. But it also requires, first, being emotionally aware and okay and recognizing those moments, but then…taking a step back with that executive discipline and presence.”
    (Amy, 21:12)

  • She warns against complacency:

    “Inertia is the worst thing you can do in business…you gotta keep moving even if it’s not the right decision.”
    (Rachel Tippograph, 23:38)

6. Personal Bravery: Playing the Long Game

• Amy’s Bravest Act:
  • She shares her pride in raising triplet daughters while building an executive career, underscoring the value in seeing life and career as a “long game”:

    “The bravest thing I have ever done incorporates both that stretch between personal and professional…learn to play that long game. And when you learn to see that long game for your career in life, that is when you are absolutely going to unlock…the most beautiful things.”
    (Amy, 23:54)

7. Advice for Emerging Leaders

• Overcoming Fear and Embracing Challenges
  • Amy’s closing message:

    “Don’t be afraid of the big challenges. That’s when you’re going to find true, meaningful experiences.”
    (Amy, 26:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Silo-Breaking and Humility:

  “Commercial success…is probably the ultimate team experience.”
  (Amy, 07:24)

• On the Importance of Shared KPIs:

  “If you do not have shared KPIs, you will automatically always behave in what I consider very fractional behaviors across the organization.”
  (Amy, 15:03)

• On Leading Through Change:

  “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…they have to personally demonstrate that.”
  (Amy, 22:53)

• On Personal Bravery and Balance:

  “Playing the long game for your career in life, that is when you are absolutely going to unlock…the most beautiful things.”
  (Amy, 23:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Growth vs. Turnaround Leadership: 02:29–05:16
• Amy’s Expanded Role & Initial Insights: 06:22–10:10
• Breaking Silos—Aha Moments: 09:22–11:09
• Why “Commercial” not just “Customer” Officer: 11:09–12:44
• KPIs and Unified Planning: 14:31–16:58
• Responding to Retail & Organizational Change: 17:15–20:46
• Framework for Embracing Change: 20:49–23:38
• Amy’s Bravest Moment (Personal/Professional Long Game): 23:54–26:12
• Inspirational Sign-Off: 26:22–26:51

Tone and Takeaways

The episode maintains a candid, practical, and encouraging tone, blending hard-won business lessons with genuine humanity. Amy’s thoughtful advice is equally actionable for corporate leaders facing digital disruption and for anyone seeking to harmonize career and life goals.

For listeners seeking actionable models for breaking silos, driving coordinated growth, and leading with humility through rapid change, this episode serves as both a blueprint and a source of inspiration.