Growth, Brands and More

What if sustainability were not about doing good or looking good? What if it were about risk management?? In this episode, Filiberto interviews sustainability professional Adam Pawelas - a sustainability veteran in food and beverages - about how sustainability has evolved over 20+ years from compliance to operational excellence, CSR, and now ESG embedded in business strategy and finance. They disc...

Do large organisations really understand complexity? Or do they underestimate it? The discussion argues that operations exist to manage organisational complexity but are often overlooked unless disruptions occur, making end-to-end understanding hard in large companies. On AI, it’s described as a buzzword whose operational impact is often oversold: automation isn’t new, and effective AI requires de...

Why is there a disconnect between commercial objectives and operational ability to deliver those objectives? In this episode, our guest, Pierre-Yves Parent, a transformation and operations veteran from Procter & Gamble, Diageo, and Coty, discusses why growth strategies often fail in execution due to mismatches with a company’s operating model. Parent explains end-to-end physical and data flows, hi...

Is premiumness in RTD as important across demographic segments? How should an Aldi Private Label compete with Guinness? And what would happen if GLP-1 were available in an oral format? The second part of the discussion between Andy and Filiberto begins with how conjoint analysis reveals which packaging, price, size, and format cues consumers use in split-second FMCG decisions, highlighting ABV as...

Can we model consumer choices in a timely fashion? Shouldn’t we test product-related design choices before launching them into the market? The episode features Andy O’Brien , FMCG & RETAIL VP at Epic Insights , discussing his FMCG background and Epic’s software-driven, decision-based research, which delivers faster insights. They emphasise the need for rapid data to support innovation, challenge a...

Why do brands follow trends and waves, embracing change when it is not needed? Why aren’t they obsessing about brand relevance, which is potentially the mother of all brand problems? In this Growth Brands and More episode, Philippo interviews brand strategist Magda Adamska, who moved from agency planning (Nike, T-Mobile) to operator roles at MTV/Viacom and Pearson, then became a consultant and bui...

Growth at any cost is still a mantra. But toxic growth creates more problems than it solves. In part two of the chat with François Bazini, the host continues a conversation about “toxic growth” and why CMOs fail, arguing that marketers often chase glamorous, short-term levers, flavour “innovations,” promotions, ill-conceived category moves, or new consumer targets that look good on paper but poiso...

From Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Growth Officer. New Label or New Reality? What’s the future of marketing? Filiberto interviews François Bazini, former CMO Europe at Suntory, about how the CMO role is changing and why some companies relabel it as a Chief Growth Officer. François recounts his global FMCG career (Danone, PepsiCo, Suntory) and contrasts functional marketing leadership with P&L g...

Nicotine Products are not a smoking cessation category anymore. The Blurring Boundaries of Nicotine. And that changes everything. Nicotine pouches show this shift clearly. They look less like medicine and more like mints. Consumers prefer formats that don’t make them feel like patients. In this episode, Filiberto interviews Joel Rubenstein, an LBS alumnus and consumer health veteran, about his car...

Why are so many FMCGs so focused on cannibalising their own demand? Why is volume growth not really at the centre of the way they operate? Todd and Filiberto discuss how innovation can create incremental demand rather than just redistribute it by targeting unmet occasions and clarifying each product’s role in the portfolio across four buckets: entry (trial), frequency, upsizing, and upscaling. The...

Why do companies in FMCG choose low probability growth? In the big data era, why are most of the FMCG launches supply-driven instead of demand-driven? Today’s guest is Todd Kirk, Principal and Managing Director at Middle Game Services. Kirk explains his background across client-side (e.g., Coca-Cola), retail data (IRI), and consulting, and says Middle Game focuses on performance marketing at the s...

Why do some executives keep growing and others plateau? How do you balance the short-term objectives with the long-term plan? In this podcast episode, host Filiberto interviews Rafal Walendzik about his 30+ year career across FMCG/CPG, food and beverages, and spirits, spanning Unilever, Kraft Heinz, and roles in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Southeast Asia, leading multicultural teams. Rafal say...

The Beverage industry is undergoing a global, structural reset. And here I will explain why. Podcast host Filiberto discusses a structural “reset” in beverages, especially beer and spirits, as the aggressive pricing playbook used to offset inflation has hit consumer limits and investors now prioritise volume growth. He traces how industry messaging shifted from post-pandemic cyclical softness to n...

Wonder why most brands get the younger demographic wrong? What sets the brands that connect with young adults apart? Host Filiberto continues his conversation with Inga in part two about how brand insights translate into practical growth decisions. They discuss brands evolving into cultural platforms and argue that successful ecosystems (e.g., Red Bull) emerge from many coordinated pillars rather...

What do authenticity and purpose mean for Gen Z? Why so many paradoxes and contradictions in the relationship between brands and Gen Z? In this episode, host Filiberto chats with Inga Dangel about the evolving landscape of branding and marketing, especially for Generation Z. Inga, with a rich career spanning roles at DHL, Mattel, and Pepsi, shares insights from her work with young consumers throug...

How are consumer attitudes towards sustainability changing? In this episode, host Filiberto continues his insightful discussion with Leon Ramselaar, with a deep dive into business transformation and sustainability. They explore topics like the strategy of ‘shrinking for growth’ in fast-moving consumer goods, the role of government and private partnerships in supporting startups, and the importance...

Why do so many business transformations fail to achieve any results? In this episode, host Filiberto discusses various aspects of business transformation with repeat guest Leon. The conversation focuses on the multi-stage process of business transformation, which includes becoming lean, adapting the organisation for future needs, and investing in innovative projects. They emphasise the importance...

Why marketers struggle to balance short-term actions with long-term thinking? How do you convert those objectives into budget allocations? This is the second part of my chat with Konstantinos Delialis . The discussion centres on international marketing, consumer trends, and brand strategies. From understanding the nuances of innovation in product development and digital transformation to highlight...

Why can only a few companies balance the need for a global brand with local relevance? In this episode, our esteemed guest is Kostantinos Delilalis, a seasoned general manager with extensive experience with international companies such as Coca-Cola, Danone, and Kraft Heinz. We discuss the differences between global and local brands, emphasising the importance of balancing global scale and local re...

Poland is the poster child of EU-driven integration. And all FMCG companies want a piece of that growth. What are the risks? And the opportunities? In this episode, host Filiberto focuses on the marketing dynamics of the Polish food and beverage sectors with expert Dominik Wilk. They discuss the complex Polish retail environment, noting the evolution from traditional trade to a more modern, compet...

Bluerrification in electronics is nothing new, but wearables are now developing as both functional products with services and luxury accessories. In this episode, Elisabetta Borghi is back as co-host with Filiberto. They discuss innovations with guest Alex Cerret, an entrepreneur developing luxury wearable safety jewellery. Alex introduces Cerret, a startup that creates safety-focused bracelets an...

Beyond the wave of premiumisation of mixers, the category is reinventing itself from an alcohol companion to a stand-alone beverage in the era of NOLO cocktails In this episode, the podcast focuses on the premiumization of mixers. The guest, Alex Curiger, talks about his journey as an entrepreneur in the spirits and mixers market, from Switzerland to the world. Alex discusses his transition from b...

In this episode, host Filiberto interviews his long-time friend and mentor, Leon Ramselaar, who has extensive experience in marketing, strategy, and consumer insights within the consumer electronics industry. The discussion delves into the evolution of marketing, consumer trends, and brand strategy, emphasising the importance of insights-driven innovation. Ramsell shares personal anecdotes from hi...

In this episode, host Filiberto speaks with John Kelly about the dynamic world of international marketing, with a particular focus on the food and beverage industry. John shares insights from his extensive career, spanning roles in dairy, beer, and beverage ingredients, highlighting significant shifts in the industry. Key trends discussed include rising consumer demand for product transparency, he...

Cross Over Episode! How are market dynamics changing in the Beverage Industry? Why is beverage striping a fundamental insight, and why should all beverage companies master it? Second part of my chat with Chris Maffeo on the Maffeo Drinks Podcast. We discuss the significant shifts in consumer behaviour and market dynamics, including the importance of understanding when and how to adopt new brands,...