Bootcamp Guest Speakers

With over 25 years of FMCG experience across the UK, Middle East and Asia Pacific and now leading the Advantage Group Australia, Dave has a wealth of knowledge on how to build successful business-to-business collaboration. He is passionate about helping people and businesses deliver mutually successful commercial outcomes and believes in a philosophy of pragmatic collaboration between retailers and suppliers – because the data is clear: Higher retailer engagement leads to better results.

From facing-up gondola ends at age 7 (Kate’s dad was in FMCG before her!) to leading Category and Sales teams to multiple consecutive years at the top of the Advantage Group Customer Engagement Survey, Kate has developed a passion for Category Development ‘done well’. She describes that when it is done well, Category Development encompasses Range, Space, Price, Promotion, Mix along with Consumer and Shopper Insight and sits at the heart of all commercial strategy – leading the way.

Holding a double degree in Food Technology and Commerce, FMCG is a perfect fit for Melinda! With experience gained across category development, analytics consulting, revenue growth management and other strategic roles, she now heads up Category, RGM and Demand at Lion. Mel believes Revenue Management is truly at the centre of a business’ success: When it’s going well, customer relationships are productive, profitability is positive and there is a clear roadmap to continuous improvement. She observes that RGM is about solving complex intellectual problems using data and insight, however to implement a plan also requires persistence, resilience and collaboration with colleagues.

We love a double-act and are so excited about this one! Bringing both a supplier and customer lens to the discussion, Trent and Alex once worked together on opposite sides of the table to bring that all important staple – chocolate – direct to the doors of Australian households through the convenience of online ordering.

Trent came to eCommerce 5 years ago from a classic FMCG sales and supply background. He has lead the establishment of strategy, prioritisation and team development for the eCommerce channel at Lindt & Sprungli, securing strong growth and share for the business in these emerging customers. He enjoys the pace of innovation and technology in this area, yet observes that attention to the basics and setting solid foundations is what can really supercharge your results.

Now leading Sales for ANZ at NielsenIQ, Alex has extensive experience across sales, insights, eCommerce and category management in FMCG. He has been both a service provider to eCommerce customers and a key decision-maker at eCommerce customers in Australia. As such, he is uniquely placed to observe that whilst FMCG eCommerce in Australia is still in early development stages, now is the time for businesses to focus on building sustainable business models that have a clear path to profitability – or risk opportunities for future growth.

A Chemical Engineer, Swati began her FMCG career as part of the Unilever Management Trainee Program. From there, she explored a breadth of roles across sales, shopper marketing, category development and revenue management. Now Sales Director of ANZ, she believes the way to build trust with retailers is by starting with the shopper, being clear on the “why” and under-pinned with data. She is passionate about joint business planning because an effective JBP ensures that we stay true our vision of driving category growth and doing what is right for the shopper, and importantly, keeps both suppliers and retailers accountable to delivering on joint commitments.