The FMCG Guys

Mette Lykke is the Chief Executive Officer at Food Tech Leader Too Good To Go, an app that connects 118 million consumers with local cafés, bakeries, supermarkets and restaurants to buy their surplus food. She joins the show to speak about her journey, the current waste situation,  how they are partnering with FMCGs and Groceries and how they look to make impact on 3 levels. Tune in to hear about: A career journey that encompasses consulting, selling a business and becoming a CEO Why food waste (40% of food produced) is an issue Integrating purpose and profit How they are looking to partner with manufacturers The opportunity with the data they are offering Future organic and M&A growth More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian  

In this episode, we’re joined by Claudia Calori, VP of Global Marketing for Personal Health at Philips, to talk about what it takes to be a modern marketer. From her early days at P&G to leadership roles at Heineken, Nike, and now Philips, Claudia shares how marketing has evolved—and what fundamentals still hold true. We dig into in-house vs. agency capabilities, the rise of retail media, and why trust is the foundation of strong teams. Tune in to hear about: Claudia’s path from journalism to marketing leadership What she learned at P&G, Heineken, Nike, and Philips Why brand-building still matters in a performance-driven world What to keep in-house vs. outsource in modern marketing The role of trust in building effective teams and partnerships More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

This episode was recorded live at Amazon Web Services’ Shoreditch Office in London as a part of a 5-Part series. You can also watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/DEyGVIBqp5o Daniel is joined by Michelle Williams, Data Product Owner at The Very Group, to explore how the UK’s leading digital department store is embedding GenAI into its business. Michelle shares the company’s pragmatic approach—focusing on efficiency, scalability, and real business value rather than hype. From launching an AI Guild and upskilling teams to using AWS-powered models to automate 40,000+ product descriptions, she breaks down how GenAI is helping The Very Group accelerate its digital transformation. Tune in to hear about: How The Very Group scaled GenAI from proof of concept to production Lessons from implementing AI-powered product descriptions Why data foundations and internal education were key to success The role of AWS as a collaborative innovation partner Find all the episodes of this AWS X FMCG GUYS Series HERE

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GbxfYuFB8-g  In this episode, recorded live at Shoptalk Europe, we discussed the Future of Retail Media in a “Quick Fire” format with Katrina Smart (VP at Mars United Commerce), Alexis Marcombe (CEO at Unlimitail) and Rudolf Schneider (Head of Amazon Ads EU).   In the session, we debated the following topics: In the future, will we stop talking about “Retail” Media and see it as part of the broader Media mix? How will measurement be solved and standardised? And will then incrementality be proven? How should brands best structure to engage with RMN’s to have a great cooperation? Will AI and automation simplify Retail Media—or just add more complexity to an already crowded space? Where in the marketing funnel should Retail Media play, if the funnel still exists in the future?

Nicole Pilkington is the Global Head of E-Commerce Acceleration at Barilla, the world's pasta leader. She joins the show to share how she’s built a career at the forefront of digital commerce, how Barilla is scaling global e-commerce capabilities, and how leadership, collaboration, and curiosity are driving change in the FMCG landscape. Topics covered: Career journey from Johnson & Johnson to Barilla, and evolving through local, regional, and global roles How Barilla built a global eCommerce Acceleration team and supports 35+ markets Building trust and influence with local teams to drive transformation at scale Managing Amazon globally and the evolution of omnichannel category leadership The emergence of retail media and aligning eCommerce with shopper, marketing, and finance teams Leading as a younger professional and empowering future digital leaders More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Richard Peake is the Managing Director at Merchant Gourmet, a British Foods company founded 30 years ago with a strong focus on making an impact through their healthy, nutritious and quality-oriented product. He joins the show to reflect on how Food brands can still find growth if they have the right vision and execution, how he’s developed his career and his thoughts on how to have a functional company culture. Topics covered: Career background from big FMCG to category disruptors His approach to business and bringing some process to fast growth How they’ve positioned Merchant Gourmet as a genuine brand with a focus on quality and a strong in-store execution Bringing innovation and fun into non-sexy product categories How to delight Retail buyers to break into the aisle Balancing commercial growth with sustainability and ethical leadership More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

In this special episode, recorded live from AWS’s Shoreditch office, we launch a brand-new 5-part series with Amazon Web Services. You can also watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/RXWMOA46Em8 Together with Marco Kormann (AWS), we explore how Generative AI is reshaping the way consumers search, discover, and shop — and what that means for brands and retailers. To do that, we are accompanied by two star guests: Richard Lim, CEO at Retail Economics, and Charley Hackerson, CRO at Botify. Tune in to learn about: How GenAI is disrupting the consumer journey and rewriting the rules of search Why traditional SEO tactics aren’t enough in an LLM-driven world What agentic retail means — and how it could transform FMCG buying behavior The role of data infrastructure and governance in staying AI-ready How leading retailers are adapting their digital strategies to remain visible and relevant  

Mehmet Karamollaoglu is the Managing Director for Turkey & Eurasia at Mondelez International, overseeing 11 dynamic markets. After leaving Turkey to pursue a Master’s degree in the U.S., Mehmet embarked on a global FMCG journey—leading commercial teams and business units across multiple geographies. What truly sets him apart, though, is his deep curiosity and drive to stay ahead—whether it’s understanding the evolving consumer or driving digital transformation in the food industry. He joins the podcast to speak about: His career development across countries and functions The importance of having the right mentors Becoming interested in eCommerce and Digital as a GM The changing market and the rise of 3P marketplaces and TikTok shop How big brands can compete with emerging ones while being coherent with their ethos More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian

Rob Chatwin visited us last year to give us a masterclass on how to manage mergers and acquisitions at the heighest level. In this conversation, we go over some of the high stakes Mergers and Acquisitions he participated in, like integrating Avon or The Body Shop into Natura. Tune into this podcast to learn about: His unique life background starting in his native Brazil Career path in Consumer Goods Natura and their track in Mergers and Acquisition Synergetic and non-synergetic acquisitions: why both can work M&A in Consumer Goods right now

Christina Rapsomanikis is VP of Connected Commerce at Mars Petcare. From sales at Unilever to launching her own DTC business and leading digital at Coty and now Mars, Christina has seen the evolution of e-commerce from every angle. She joins us live from Mars’ London offices to talk about how digital has moved from the sidelines to the center of FMCG strategy. Tune in to hear about: Christina’s career journey across FMCG, beauty, and pet care What “Connected Commerce” really means at Mars Why consumer-centricity is more than a buzzword Building internal alignment with data and tools How leadership has evolved in the hybrid work era The rise of digital as a core FMCG growth engine More Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fmcgguys/   Audio Mixing by Rodrigo Chávez Voice Acting by Jason Martorell Parsekian