Consumer Packaged Goods

InnoLead’s Impact conference brought together three leaders who build new businesses inside large companies. They shared advice about how they identify new opportunities, how they move quickly, and how they keep leadership support over the long timeframe it can take for new ventures to generate return-on-investment. 

Tom Donaldson, Head of the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group, discusses the company’s culture; his belief in the importance of prototyping and “silent demos”; and how the company measures innovation.

SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas explains how he fosters innovation at the company — and how they leverage social media as part of their marketing.

Tthe shift toward compostable and bio-based solutions is already underway, writes Bob Meers, CEO of Better for All. Those who fail to adapt risk losing relevance and market share in an increasingly eco-conscious world. Read more…

We talked with Doug Munk, the Senior Director of New Business Ventures for Nestlé USA, about his insights about his time navigating the complexities of building and sustaining new ventures within large organizations.

We talk with Colgate-Palmolive’s Ann Tracy about the making the recyclable tube happen; the company’s three “ambition pillars”; and how the company tracks progress toward its sustinability goals. 

Adam Melonas, CEO and Founder of Chew Innovation in Boston, shares his insights on communication around innovation; working with large CPG companies; scalability of products for the largest total addressable market; and more.

Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, shares her insights on developing a strategic plan; identifying what initiatives an organization should be a leader in; and using external partnerships to bolster R&D efforts in an interview from our recent report, Benchmarking Innovation Impact.

Robert Long, Kimberly-Clark’s first-ever Chief R&D Officer, shared his insights on the importance of diversity of thought; the biggest challenges in R&D today; and external scouting in an interview for our recent benchmarking research.

Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo, is releasing a new book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People, in October. We caught up with Porcini to talk about the book, what he calls “unicorns,” and the importance of integrating breakthrough innovation into organizations.