Spikes Excitement Talks

In this episode, Sandra Peat is joined by Lucas Bergmans, Global Marketing Director at Wise, to explore a career that spans FMCG giants, challenger brands, startups, and fintech. Lucas shares how he moved from languages into marketing and ultimately made the leap into digital-first financial services. Together, they discuss the shift from brand-led to product-led businesses, building growth in fas...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with special guest Allyson Witherspoon, CMO and Global Brand Advisor at Nissan Motor Corporation, to talk about leadership, brand transformation, and the power of taking bold leaps. Allyson shares her journey from accounting student to global marketing leader, her experiences across iconic automotive brands, and the mentors who shaped her career. They expl...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler speaks with Zsuzsanna Szak , Global Category Director at Henkel , about building a global FMCG career driven by curiosity, ownership, and people-centric leadership. Zsuzsanna shares her journey from early marketing roles at FrieslandCampina to nearly a decade at Colgate-Palmolive, followed by senior leadership roles at Henkel across multiple countries. Having lived...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler speaks with Amina Mattern , Head of Marketing for Canada and LATAM at Indeed . Amina shares her career journey from psychology and journalism into global marketing leadership roles across agencies, LinkedIn, and now Indeed. They discuss the evolution of digital marketing, the importance of aligning marketing and sales, and how brands can balance growth with ethics a...

In this short episode of Spikes Excitement Talks, Gordon Euchler speaks with Mona Elsaka, VP Global Sponsorships & Partnerships at Mastercard,  about the evolving role of marketing at the intersection of culture, technology, and human passion. Mona shares her journey from social impact work to leading major brand and communication functions, and why brand partnerships and human connection rema...

In this episode of Spikes Excitement Talks Gordon Euchler hosts  Julien Moignard , Global Chief Prospective Innovation and Design Officer & SVP - Beauty & Wellbeing at Unilever . The conversation explores the future of beauty, innovation, and leadership. Julien shares his journey from a family of pharmacists to working with L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, and now driving Unilever’s transformatio...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler talks with Gabriele Haessig, Managing Director for Communications and Sustainability at Procter & Gamble Deutschland (Germany). With a remarkable career spanning decades at P&G, Gabriele shares her journey from economics student to leading sustainability and communications for one of the world’s biggest brands. She discusses how purpose and sustainability ar...

In this episode, Gordon speaks with Marco Philipp Koppenstein , Head of Category Development DACH at Mars Wrigley , about excitement, leadership, and the future of retail. Marco shares how he found his way to Mars, why he stayed, and what makes the company’s purpose. He explains how his team works as a neutral, data-driven category consulting unit, optimizing store touchpoints, checkout layouts, a...

In this episode, Gordon speaks with Mark Grether — one of the rare leaders who has built billion-dollar advertising businesses at Amazon, Uber, and now PayPal. Mark shares the story behind selling Seismic to Amazon as their first-ever advertising acquisition, how he helped turn Uber profitable through ads, and why PayPal’s transaction graph may be one of the most powerful data assets in the indust...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler speaks with Matteo Giarrizzo, Head of Media & Digital at Opella (Sanofi), about his journey from media agencies to major global brands like Samsung, Vodafone, L’Oréal, and Henkel—leading up to his current role in the fast-evolving consumer health sector. Matteo shares how media has always been the engine of change, why FMCG mindsets are reshaping healthcare, and...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Cristian Grajales —a marketing leader with an extraordinary journey spanning more than 15 years at Audi, global roles across continents, a leap into autonomous-driving tech, and now CMO at Germany’s long-established homebuilding company, Viebrockhaus. What connects selling sports cars and selling homes? As Cristian reveals: a car takes you from A to B...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Steffen Zeller , CMO of Rügenwalder Mühle – the German food pioneer that taught an entire nation to love veggie meat. Steffen shares his unusual journey from physics student to FMCG marketer, shaped by mentors, challenges, and a love for food discovered on the beaches of La Rochelle. He talks about reviving iconic brands, launching innovations with tiny budge...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Nuno Alexandre, Global Condiments Head of Category & Commercial Strategy at Unilever, to explore what truly drives excitement in modern marketing — from building category growth to evolving heritage brands for a changing world. Nuno shares his journey — from KPMG to Coca-Cola and now Unilever — reflecting on what it means to bridge brand ambition...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Mohamed Aboelfotouh, Senior Marketing Director for Content & Digital Innovation at PepsiCo, to trace a career journey that redefines what it means to embrace change and chase excitement. From computer science lecturer in Cairo to leading global digital transformation at one of the world’s biggest food and beverage companies, Mohamed shares how cur...

In this  episode, host Gordon welcomes an old friend, colleague, and former boss — Jo Royce, whose remarkable career spans Glue, Sapient, Google, Unilever, and Kimberly-Clark. Together, they explore the evolution and implosion  of the creative and marketing industries in an era of AI disruption, automation, and shifting business models. They dive deep into the changing landscape of advertising and...

In this episode, Dave Cobban sits down with Stephanie Jacoby, Global SVP of Vodka at Diageo, to explore her remarkable 18-year journey in brand marketing — from her early career in tech to leading some of the world’s most iconic spirits, including Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff. Stephanie shares how her background in psychology shaped her approach to building brands with purpose, authenticity, and hu...

*German episode* In this episode, Gordon Euchler welcomes Sonja Messerschmidt, Head of Marketing and Communications at ÖRAG Rechtsschutzversicherung, for a chat about the evolution of marketing — from classic communication to a discipline centered around solutions and customer empowerment . Sonja shares insights from her career path, which began in advertising and led her through many years at Sta...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Akshay Sardesai, Vice President of Marketing at Reckitt, to explore how curiosity, adaptability, and humility fuel long-term success in a fast-changing business world. Akshay shares his journey from starting out at Procter & Gamble in India to leading Reckitt’s Enfamil brand in the United States — reflecting on the lessons from each chapter and th...

In this episode of Excitement Talk , Gordon Euchler sits down with Nicola Villa, Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth at Mastercard, to explore the intersections of technology, public policy, and economic transformation across three decades of innovation. From his beginnings in industrial economics to his early days at Cisco’s European call center, Nicola shares an extraordinary career jou...

In this episode, Moritz Wehr sits down with Catherine Niebuhr, CMO NIVEA for Germany & Switzerland at Beiersdorf. Catherine shares her unique career journey — a rare example in today's marketing world of someone who has spent 23 years with a single company. She opens up about what’s kept her energized at Beiersdorf for over two decades: constant opportunities for growth, a flexible and inc...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Rene Federico, an experienced brand leader whose career spans two powerhouse names in retail—Nike and Converse—and now, Head of Marketing US at Primark. Rene shares her journey from the shop floor of Nike Town Boston to shaping the basketball brand at Nike, and now leading brand building in a fast-growing US market at Primark.  The conversation explor...

In this episode, Gordon Euchler sits down with Patrick Krul, former Global Head of Marketing Technology at Danone, to explore the intersection of marketing, technology, and capability-building. From his key roles at Unilever, DPG Media, and Danone, Patrick shares a career shaped by curiosity, a deep passion for consumer-centric marketing, and a strong belief in the power of data consciousness. He...

In this episode, Sandra sits down with Pete Markey—renowned marketing leader and former Chief Marketing Officer at Boots—for a deep dive into what truly excites him about the industry, and the lessons he's picked up along his hjourney. Pete shares the origin of his love for marketing, from childhood inspiration watching Star Wars to building bold, award-winning campaigns like More Than Freeman...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Jan Francis, Head of Marketing Procurement at Visa Europe, to explore the power of partnerships, navigating change, and finding opportunity in complexity. Jan takes us through his unconventional career path—from hotels and forestry to IT, law, and ultimately leading procurement for marketing across 26 countries at one of the world’s most trusted brands. He sh...

In this episode Sandra hosts Melda Hamarat, Global Head of Digital Commerce Strategy at Unilever. Melda shares her unconventional journey from industrial engineering to leading global digital commerce strategy. She discusses how curiosity, consumer psychology, and fearless pivots shaped her career and how digital commerce exploded during COVID and continues to evolve with AI, retail media, and rap...