Her Story
About Jeanette
Jeanette Gerger is a marketing and insights leader with 18 years of experience in the food and beverage industry between retail and food service. She currently serves as Marketing Lead for Barilla for Professionals USA at Barilla Group, a role she has held for seven years. In this position she has led new product development and launches, including the company's first frozen pasta line, while supporting multiple brands such as the classic Barilla blue box, El Bronzo, and Protein Plus. Prior to Barilla, she held sales strategy and pricing roles at Kellogg Company in Elmhurst, Illinois, followed by five and a half years in market research at The NPD Group where she studied consumer eating habits for major CPG clients. She later returned to Kellogg in a marketing capacity, developing channel strategies for large foodservice accounts including Dunkin, Burger King, and McDonald's. Jeanette earned both her undergraduate degree through DePaul University's Integrated Marketing Education Honors Program and her MBA from DePaul University in Chicago. She is a board member of the Food Service Women's Alliance and attributes her success to solving real customer problems and building strong cross-functional relationships.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jeanette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I work really hard to ensure what I'm doing answers a problem. So if there is a need or a solution that needed to be developed, it's actually addressing it. I think because I do seek to create relationships, it's easier to get things done together. Building that relationship, building the trust, has helped me get to where I am today.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Try to get the experiences, but also know you have your whole life to work. Saying yes to new or challenging things that make you a little uncomfortable was very important. I graduated during the Great Recession and was challenged to say yes and explore different career paths, more jungle gym instead of a straight path.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Know your shit. Don't let people dismiss you. Voice your expertise, bring it forward, not in an ego way, but make sure that your voice is heard. Participate, ask for a seat at the table, and really showcase that you knew what you were talking about. The food service industry is very male-dominated and sales-dominated.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The value of relationships. Creating a pathway for dialogue is really important. Building the rapport and the relationship is important for getting work done. I don't just start a meeting with the agenda. I ask them how their weekend was.
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