Sarah Nellson

I would say I went where the opportunities opened. My success has been being flexible about going where I could add the most value, as opposed to following a pretty straight career path. I wouldn't say I was the fastest person to vice president, because I'm not a vice president, but I count myself as a successful, valued contributor from any team I've been on. I'm talking to you because it matters to me to have influence in the best possible way with people. I've had, I've got all this experience. How can I help people with it, right?

I really, really wanted to be a region sales manager at Heinz. I thought I was ready, I'd checked all the boxes. I ended up having a one-on-one with our Head of sales, and I gave him my pitch about why I'd done all the things and would really love to go after an RSM job when it comes up. His comment to me has stuck with me the rest of my career, which is that it isn't about the job, it's about the skills. They were great at succession planning people and career pathing, and they had something in mind for me that they couldn't share. But what he was really trying to say is work on the skills you need to build to be really great for a long career, and worry a little less about what the actual title is of the job that you're looking for next. Because that next job might not look like that next job by the time you're ready for it. With the rate of change in CPG, changes are constant. When I started my career, shopper marketing didn't even exist as a capability. So things are going to look different, and you just want to be focused on building the skills, build your foundation. Worry a little less about the title, and a little more about proving your expertise in that skill set, the rest will come.

Make friends, have some fun, work hard. I know that sounds like a bumper sticker, but seriously, the curiosity matters more than I can tell you. Because the minute you start to get bored, then it's time to move on. If you're not curious, then you're not going to be able to find the things that matter. Having fun matters so much more than people want to talk about. Work should have an element of fun. Mary Poppins got it right. There should be something fun waiting for you at work. My hashtag for most of my LinkedIn posts now is have fun and sell chocolate. I pay more attention to it than I ever did when I was younger. And I think making friends, that's part of having fun, too. I have a family, I don't need work to be my family, but I do spend a lot of time there. There are a lot of inside jokes, and if you're having fun, you have shared experiences, you have shared wins, you have shared losses. There are some bonds there. If you're not engaging and you don't have those moments, it's really hard. It makes the tougher part tougher because you don't have a balance. If I were to add anything to that, find the people you want to work for, and work with, and stay with them. There is some benefit to being flexible in your career path, so that you can stay with people where your vibe is high. I have ended up in roles where I was with a manager that didn't gel, and it just made things so much harder. It made all of those other things somehow feel off. When you're young in your career, you don't know that you think work means you have to show up in a certain way, dressed in a certain way, thinking a certain way. But it doesn't have to be so hard. You have to be willing to put in the work, but when there's fun, the friends, the shared experiences, and a boss that shepherds you, you're in sort of an ecosphere where the work hard comes more naturally.

I would say the biggest challenges that I see happening right now have a lot to do with innovation. If I really go industry-wide, it's gonna be cost pressure and the evolution of retail media. The combination of price increases and cost pressure on one side on the manufacturer P&L, and the growth of retail media on the other side, which is sort of an ask from retailers, it just creates a bit of a squeeze in the middle where you're really trying to navigate what's going to move the needle on your business the most to try to keep partnerships moving and the P&L growing. I think it's a combination of both. In this job, I am loving working with Target because they're so trend-forward. I think these people are just really on the forefront of where things are going and changing. They're very clear about how they want things to be, and I love that they know that they have this very specific trip. It's a very different trip, and I love that they know that, and that's their identity. So you are here representing a brand who has to figure out how you show up uniquely in that trip. People come to Target for multiple reasons, but it's definitely a different trip than when you're going into a CVS.

Trust. I would say trust, I mean, I would add fun in there, but trust in a work and a personal moment. Trust and respect are the two things that I think will be deal breakers for anybody with me.