BRAVE COMMERCE

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Michael Reda, Vice President of Omnichannel Marketing at The Marzetti Company, about driving growth in categories like refrigerated dressings and frozen bread. He shares how Marzetti approaches discovery in a digitally influenced world and how the brand reinforces storytelling with retail media and partnerships lik...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Kate Hamill, VP of North America Enterprise Sales at Pinterest, to unpack how the platform is evolving from an inspiration engine into a more measurable driver of commerce outcomes. Kate shares how Pinterest is compressing the funnel between discovery and conversion, and how brands can think differently about vi...

In this special episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter unpack M&A from the inside, drawing upon their experience navigating acquisitions firsthand. Rachel announces MikMak’s acquisition by SPINS, sharing how it came together, why it was the right partner at the right moment, and her priorities for the first 90 - 180 days, from change management and customer comm...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with John Ferris, President, Consumer at Bausch + Lomb, to discuss how modern consumer behavior is rewriting the rules for legacy brands. John shares how his team is tackling a core challenge in eye health: consumers value vision deeply, but often don’t take action until something is wrong, creating a massive o...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Marco Brucato, Head of eCommerce Europe - DTC Transformation at Beko Europe. Marco shares how he’s scaled digital commerce across diverse European markets by applying a “freedom within a frame” mindset, centralizing strategy, governance, and KPIs while empowering local teams to adapt for cultural nuance and s...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Laura Briggs, Head of eCommerce Excellence at Philips. Laura shares how her team drives category growth across Philips' consumer goods portfolio (Sonicare, Avent, Grooming & Beauty) by establishing a universal focus and analyzing the core drivers of consumer growth as a key framework. She emphasizes that...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Matt Blevins, Chief Marketing Officer at Heaven Hill Brands. Matt shares why long-term brand building remains essential in the spirits category and how disciplined measurement guides smarter decision-making. He explains how digital discovery, from YouTube mixology to Reddit communities, shapes in-store behavi...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Matt Taylor, Vice President of Digital at Scotts Miracle-Gro. Matt shares how generative search is reshaping the Lawn and Garden category, raising expectations for content, partnerships, and digital experiences. He explains why Scotts brought digital and retail media together under one leader and how his team...

In this episode, recorded live at Groceryshop, Sarah Hofstetter sits down with Louise Cotterill, Global Senior Director of Insights and Intelligence at Kellanova, for a wide-ranging conversation on how to turn complex data into business results and build cross-functional trust along the way. Louise shares how her team built a proprietary clean room solution to drive more precise audience targeting...

In this episode, recorded live at Groceryshop, Sarah Hofstetter sits down with Neil Reynolds, Global Chief Customer & Digital Commerce Officer at Mars Wrigley. With experience leading across both developed and emerging markets, Neil shares what it takes to modernize digital commerce and retail partnerships at global scale. He breaks down how Mars Wrigley is investing in omnichannel foundations...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, recorded live at Groceryshop 2025, Sarah Hofstetter and guest co-host Andrea Steele sit down with Benoit Vatere, Chief Media Officer at Liquid Death, for a candid and energizing conversation about what it really takes to build modern commerce partnerships that move the needle. From launching a viral college-themed campaign with Amazon to pushing the boundaries of...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Andrea Steele, Area Vice President (AVP) eCommerce & Customer Marketing at Kraft Heinz. Andrea shares her framework for embedding digital and eCommerce capabilities across large organizations, and how true transformation starts upstream, in brand strategy, product development, and core business processes....

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Megan Frank, SVP of Marketing and R&D at Mizkan, the 221-year-old, family-owned food company behind iconic brands like RAGÚ, Bertolli, Nakano, and the newly acquired Zing Zang. With a portfolio of legacy brands that have stood the test of time, Megan shares how she keeps them relevant to today’s consumer whi...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Noah Knoblauch, Head of eCommerce and Retail Media at Suave Brands Company. With a background at Procter & Gamble and deep experience in private equity environments, Noah shares what it takes to rebuild iconic brands like Suave and ChapStick for modern commerce. Noah explains how he started from scratch foll...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Lander Otegui, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Proximo Spirits. With a portfolio that includes legendary brands like Jose Cuervo and Bushmills, Lander shares how Proximo balances centuries of heritage with bold decisions that shape the future of spirits. He explains how private ownership...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Wendell Venerable, Vice President of eCommerce at Congo Brands. With experience at Nestlé, Reckitt, and Red Bull, Wendell shares how he has built a career by staying focused on the fundamentals, regardless of shifting trends in the commerce landscape. Wendell explains why executional excellence still drives the...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Caroline Goodner, Founder and CEO of OrganiCare, the company behind FemiClear. With deep experience launching and scaling health-focused consumer brands, Caroline shares how she has built a business that addresses overlooked but highly common women’s health issues. From vaginal health to product regulation, Caro...

In this compelling episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Amber English, President, Digital & Online of the Americas at The Estée Lauder Companies. From launching on Amazon to leading organizational transformation, Amber shares the inside story of how one of the world’s most iconic beauty companies is navigating the future of commerce. With transparency...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter are joined by John Alvarado, U.S. Chief Brand Officer at Suntory Global Spirits. As more companies replace traditional CMO roles with Chief Brand Officers, John explains why brand-building—not just marketing—is central to growth, especially in a category steeped in heritage and ritual. From transforming Jim Beam’s go-to-marke...

How do you scale a high-growth brand after acquisition without losing the culture that made it special? On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Stuart Heflin, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Quest Nutrition at Simply Good Foods, about how Quest has tripled in size since joining Simply Good Foods while staying true to its mission and scrappy...

How do you infuse startup agility into a $3B global commerce engine? On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Andrew Lederman , VP of Global Digital Commerce at Mondelez , for a wide-ranging conversation on building at scale while moving with speed. From founding a startup acquired by Alibaba to transforming digital commerce at AB InBev and now Mondele...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Jenna Steele, Vice President of E-commerce and Digital at Riboli Wines. Jenna shares how she is leading transformation in a category rooted in tradition, from building a tech-forward e-commerce function to using digital shelf insights to engage a new generation of wine drinkers. She discusses how consumer confusion...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Chitra Ebenezer, Chief Marketing Officer at Velcro Companies. Chitra shares how the VELCRO® Brand inspires creativity across a wide range of consumer and industrial use cases, and how she balances B2B and B2C marketing strategies to drive growth. She highlights the role of campaigns like “ORIGINAL THINKING®” and “E...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Bianca Bolouri, Vice President of Global eCommerce at Wella Company. Bianca shares how her experience at L’Oréal and her work at Wella have shaped her approach to leading teams, building culture, and driving growth in a rapidly changing beauty and professional care landscape. She discusses how a mix of global beaut...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Rick LaBerge, Chief Commercial Officer of HARIBO of America. Rick shares how HARIBO has grown household penetration in the U.S. from 10 to 28 percent in the last decade while staying focused on its founding values of quality, trust, and childlike happiness. He discusses the unique challenges and advantages of worki...