Hello, I'm Julie S.

Are you short on strategy, branding and/or marketing talent or knowledge? In search of a strategic mind to offer a fresh perspective? Need a right hand to take on a high-profile, mission-critical effort? After an equal number of years' experience on both the client/brand side as well as in professional services consulting roles, I'm uniquely positioned to support CEOs and seamlessly navigate the c-suite and the demands you might be facing. I partner with B2B and B2C scaling brands, businesses and teams to deliver on key strategic imperatives, specializing in the retail and consumer goods industries. My sweet spot is articulating significant differentiation and growth in brand strategy, integrated marketing and new product commercialization. I deliver key initiatives on time, on strategy and on budget - reliably, smartly and drama-free. Expertise underpinned by deep retail, regulated FMCG, CPG and consumer brands background, including renowned brands, such as Budweiser, Vitaminwater, Smartwater, 5-hour Energy, Dickies, QuikTrip, Kellogg, Colgate, Tom’s of Maine, JM Smucker, Conagra, Freshpet. Delivered top-line revenue growth through strategic, omnichannel campaigns, launching QT’s first mobile app and fresh food from the QT Kitchens simultaneously, driving significant brand growth in new revenue stream, expanding from 750 to 1,000+ stores. Successful track record of product branding, new product launches, licensing partnership activation and stage-gate process development, leading cross-functional innovation teams and spearheading GTM strategy to drive market expansion and growth. Contributed 2M+ in annualized EBITDA through effective retail merchandising, product mix and promotional models with 7-10% reduction in COGS. Implemented customer loyalty segmentation strategies, resulting in +185% to +330% CTOR. Strategic storyteller and creator of corporate, product and environmental branding, including development of brand architecture, house of CPG brands and branded house, utilizing brand identity models (BIM) and visual and voice brand identities (VBIs).

Details

Location
Years of Relevant Experience20+ years
Seniority LevelC-Suite
Highest Level of EducationDegree

Current / Most Recent Job Title

Chief Strategy Officer Chief Marketing Officer

Current / Most Recent Employment

Brioche Brand Chief Strategy Officer (fractional) | CCD Innovation

Industry

Professional Services

Specific Jurisdictions That I'm Qualified In or Can Cover

Language(s)

English, United States

Skills

I drive innovation efforts, brand growth, and strategic partnerships to create market-leading consumer products. Retail and consumer goods marketing leader across startups, scale-ups and global brands. Half agency consulting, half brand-side builder who integrates strategy, marketing, branding and product development to create legacy brands and build trusted partnerships. Architects solutions with cross-functional teams to deliver on key strategic imperatives while balancing a return on labor AND a return on investment – to get further, faster, with fewer mistakes. Skills include: retail, corporate & brand marketing spanning trends & insights, brand strategy, integrated campaign and VBI development, DTC efforts, PR & thought leadership, social media marketing, and agency partner management. Personal Mantra: Glass is half full; anything is possible when working together towards the same thing.

Areas of Professional Interest

Category experience includes: food and beverage (alc, functional, coffee, CSD), natural products, supplements, cannabis, consumer goods, QSR and apparel. Emphasis in highly regulated industries, pressure cooker situations and navigating the unknowns. Areas of specific interest include: ✅ brand development and positioning ✅ crafting visual and voice brand identities (VBIs) and storytelling ✅ trends and insights ✅ integrated campaign development ✅ agency partner leadership ✅ new product innovation and pipeline planning