MEET WESLEY - SR DIRECTOR DIGITAL COMMERCE MARKETING

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

What is your current role?

I’m the Marketing lead for the Digital Commerce team in the US. I have an incredibly diverse team of specialists and general managers that lead the future of eCommerce for MDLZ every day. There are 4 marketing functions on the team.

1. Commercial Strategy & Assortment.
2. Digital Shelf Content Development & Operations.
3. Retail Performance Media
4. Direct to Consumer

What makes e-commerce at MDLZ so exciting?

eCommerce at MDLZ is so much more than selling our brands online, it's about building capabilities that will be core marketing tools in the very near future. We're at the tip of the sword when it comes to the future of digital commerce and it's the most exciting place to be right now.

How do you see the future of e-commerce develop at MDLZ?

The digitization and automation of our world is happening at breakneck speeds. This changes how consumers experience our brands, how they shop for our products and how we fulfill their orders. I think a lot about what the shelf looks like online vs in-store and if our products can be safely unpacked and bagged by a robotic hand without damage! These are some of the questions we're asking ourselves and trying to solve before they become problems.

How has your career developed at MDLZ?

I started my career here on our savory snacking brands like Triscuit and Ritz then moved on to confections, leading the candy business for North America. During my time on confections, I learned to own and grow a highly visible power-brand. Leading a brand like Sour Patch Kids allowed me to play and think creatively as a marketer. At the time, our candy business was bursting at the seams online. Our online growth was significant and the opportunities with personalization via DTC were becoming clear. Having a front row seat to the early years of eCommerce was new and exciting! Within a year, I had the opportunity to join the eCommerce team as the Marketing Lead for all brands and categories. I’ve been on the eCommerce team for 3 years now and I am so proud to have been on the forefront of so much change and growth here at MDLZ.

What type of projects or experiences have you done to help grow your career in different ways at Mondelēz?

The first that comes to mind was leading a team to invest in new capacity for our candy brands. It was the first time I was tasked to lead a group of highly experienced partners to deliver big investment recommendations to the MDLZ C-Suite. Convincing leadership to spend their next dollar with you vs someone else requires passion, confidence, and patience.

The second project was leading the formation of our DTC businesses (SourPatchKids.com and OREOiD). Not only were we creating engaging brand experiences, but we evolved to capture revenue directly from consumers for the first time. It was a huge undertaking and involved functional partners I hadn’t engaged with before. Building something truly new is 99% learning and empathizing with your partners and stakeholders.

What is your view on working from home, a hybrid model and the way MDLZ handles this?

I have three thoughts on the office in this new normal.

1. It's all about attracting and keeping top talent. Providing teams with flexibility to work where and how they want isn't a perk, it's affirmation that teams are trusted to deliver their objectives in the way they want to work.
2. Offices are for collaboration (not necessarily work). We need to rethink the endless rows of desks and create spaces where people can come together for special events, occasions, and group brainstorming sessions.
3. Having convenient spaces in commutable hubs is about equity, inclusion, and again...diverse talent! Providing everyone with convenient access to our owned spaces is critical.

What is your view on diversity at MDLZ? What do we do well and what can we improve?

Our brands are so iconic and desirable that we attract a diverse mix of people to the company. Every day I meet someone new who joined MDLZ from a different company, an acquisition, another business unit or a completely different walk of life. Speaking personally, I have always felt encouraged at MDLZ to bring my whole self to work. As a leader, my great pride is that most of my team is female. Additionally, I report to a strong female leader who also reports to yet another strong female leader! It’s important for everyone at MDLZ (and beyond) not take these examples of diversity for granted- we must share them, encourage them and work through our own bias to grow them.