In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Bianca Bolouri, Vice President of Global eCommerce at Wella Company. Bianca shares how her experience at L’Oréal and her work at Wella have shaped her approach to leading teams, building culture, and driving growth in a rapidly changing beauty and professional care landscape.

She discusses how a mix of global beauty expertise and startup energy enables Wella to balance speed and discipline across its consumer and professional businesses. Bianca also shares her perspective on the evolving role of DTC, the emergence of pro-grade products for home use, and how global trends in beauty are shaping consumer expectations in other categories.

• L’Oréal’s culture creates leaders who thrive under high expectations, adaptability, and ownership
• DTC is not dead, but serves a different role today as a brand-building and loyalty engine
• Global beauty trends, like pro-grade at-home care and compressed innovation cycles, are redefining consumer expectations across categories

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Rick LaBerge, Chief Commercial Officer of HARIBO of America. Rick shares how HARIBO has grown household penetration in the U.S. from 10 to 28 percent in the last decade while staying focused on its founding values of quality, trust, and childlike happiness.

He discusses the unique challenges and advantages of working for a century-old, family-run company with deep roots in care, as well as the importance of manufacturing locally and understanding the American shopper. Rick also highlights how HARIBO is translating the joyful, colorful in-store candy experience to digital commerce, and what it takes to build lasting retailer relationships.

Key takeaways

• Long-term thinking drives growth. HARIBO’s U.S. success stems from investing in local manufacturing, understanding seasonal rituals, and making product decisions with generational goals in mind
• Brand values create differentiation. Staying focused on joy, quality, and trust has helped HARIBO outperform competitors in a crowded candy category
• Digital experience matters. Translating HARIBO’s visual, sensory brand into eCommerce environments has been key to driving conversion online

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Andrea Zahumensky, President of North America Baby and Child Care Transformation and Canada at Kimberly-Clark. Andrea shares how the company’s long-standing commitment to solving consumer problems through science and innovation continues to guide its growth.

She discusses how leading with care, both internally and externally, becomes more powerful when backed by results, and how challenger brands have helped sharpen Kimberly-Clark’s go-to-market strategies. Andrea also reflects on the importance of authenticity in leadership and the culture shifts required to move with speed at scale.

Key takeaways

• Performance enables care. Delivering results creates the resources to reinvest in solving real consumer problems
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• Challenger brands can expose blind spots. Kimberly-Clark’s response in diapers reshaped its innovation strategy
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• Authenticity builds trust. Leading with emotion has become Andrea’s superpower as an executive

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Arthur Sylvestre, VP of Digital Commerce at Danone North America. Arthur shares how the company’s mission and strategic renewal have positioned it for outsized growth, especially in a category as complex as perishables.

He reflects on Danone’s culture of digital enthusiasm, its collective approach to retail media, and the mindset needed to build long-term, sustainable growth. Arthur also outlines how digital teams can elevate their impact by influencing both online and offline sales and keeping organizations focused on what drives meaningful results.

Key takeaways

• Perishables can succeed in digital. Danone’s double-digit eCommerce growth shows the opportunity is real
• Retail media should be approached as a collective effort across sales, media, and brand teams
• The most effective teams stay focused on the fundamentals, not the noise

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Megan Lindstrand, Vice President of Marketing and Consumer Experience at Combe. Megan shares how the company’s founding principles of empathy, quality, and discretion continue to shape its portfolio strategy for brands like Just For Men, Vagisil, and Astroglide.

With over two decades of experience across various agencies, PE-backed businesses, and family-owned brands, Megan discusses how ownership structure influences marketing, culture, and decision-making. She also explains how her team connects media, insights, and analytics into a unified growth engine that accelerates speed to market and drives real business outcomes.

Key takeaways

• Consumer trust is built through empathy, transparency, and a commitment to product quality
• Ownership models shape how marketing can operate, from budget and risk to brand building
• Real-time data and integrated teams are essential for turning insights into action

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Erin Price, General Manager of Consumer Products at Sargento. Erin shares how Sargento’s identity as a family-owned business has shaped its category leadership, commitment to long-term value, and approach to consumer-driven innovation.

Erin discusses how the company’s newest brand platform, “The Sargento Family Promise,” is rooted in transparency and trust, and how deep consumer insights, rather than fleeting trends, guide the development of new products. She also offers her perspective on recruiting top CPG talent to Wisconsin, managing through change, and developing the next generation of business leaders.

Key takeaways

• A long-term mindset enables more meaningful innovation and stronger retailer relationships
• Consumer trust is earned through consistency, transparency, and product quality
• Data is only powerful when paired with focus, agility, and real-time consumer understanding

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Kathleen Braine, Chief Marketing Officer at 818 Tequila. Kathleen shares what it’s like to work side by side with founder Kendall Jenner to shape 818 into one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the U.S.

She discusses the importance of honoring Jenner’s creative vision while scaling a business that balances brand storytelling, retail relationships, and digital commerce. From NASCAR partnerships to platform-native content, Kathleen reveals how 818 is growing both brand love and business outcomes simultaneously.

Key takeaways

• Building a lifestyle brand requires close creative alignment between founder and CMO
• Younger consumers want versatility and intentionality in what they drink and how they shop
• Digitally native strategies are essential in regulated industries like alcohol, where compliance and shoppability must go hand in hand

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Description

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstadter speak with Colleen Orani, Vice President of Global Marketing at Energizer Holdings. Colleen shares how Energizer moved from a fragmented media structure to one unified under a single leader, combining national media, shopper marketing, and content development.

She discusses the realities of leading marketing across brands with very different consumer behaviors, from impulse buys like batteries to more considered purchases like auto care. Colleen offers a transparent look into how Energizer is balancing long-term strategy with rapid fire execution, all while managing evolving retailer relationships and media investments.

Key takeaways

• A unified approach to national and retail media enables stronger consumer engagement across all stages of the purchase journey
• Categories require tailored media strategies – impulse brands are “clicky,” while others demand deeper “scrolly” content
• Driving shared accountability across marketing, sales, and content teams ensures adaptability in a volatile market

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