COVER FEATURE
2022 Top Women in Grocery Nawshi Williams VP, Analytics and Insights, CROSSMARK
In July 2021, Williams led the company’s digital transformation with the creation of Accelerator, an advanced analytics platform that gives sales managers instantaneous access to necessary information related to clients and customers. With data queries returned in seconds and usage rates in the 99.7% range, Accelerator is expected to create a 30% efficiency shift from non-value-added redundant reporting to high-value analytics; initial tests show a 2% to 4% improvement in sales profit, driven by higher incremental sales and better promotional efficiency. In November 2021, Williams received the Path to Purchase Institute’s Women of Excellence Award for technology.
Kerry Farrell
SVP Sales and Customer Success, Eversight
Farrell helped to more than double Eversight’s growth; she assisted customers and prospects in navigating huge changes, including inflation, the rise of retail media, shifting shopper behavior and the omni-commerce explosion. Leading a pilot program involving more than a dozen top CPG companies, she harnessed the combined powers of Advantage Solutions’ store-level execution and Eversight’s Offer Innovation Suite to accelerate trade promotion innovation. Another partnership, this one between Eversight and SAP, allows retailers to leverage data in SAP’s Customer Activity Repository in combination with Eversight’s artificial-intelligence capabilities to “supercharge” revenue performance.
42
progressivegrocer.com
Dr. Theon Danet CIO/Director of Information Technology, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA)
Charged with leading — and accelerating — DeCA’s global digital transformation, Danet worked to modernize the online platform, including the deployment of technology to support the next-generation digital shelf, dynamic order fulfillment and secure online payments. By leveraging cloud technology and an industry-leading platform, she decreased rollout costs from an anticipated $51.7 million to $5.9 million, and the deployment timeline dropped from an estimated seven years to six months. Danet tapped external U.S. Treasury partners to design an interim process until online-payment software was installed.
Kathryn Tuttle Chief Marketing Officer, Farmer Focus
Having transformed Farmer Focus from a regional supplier to a rapidly growing natural and organic chicken brand available in 2,500 stores, Tuttle continued to pursue a marketing-led innovation strategy and thought leadership-focused public relations, including influential placement in media outlets. Her efforts caught the attention of President Biden, who invited Farmer Focus’ CEO to attend his roundtable discussion on competition in the meat industry earlier this year. Tuttle also oversaw product innovation: A new pre-seasoned chicken line achieved placement at Harris Teeter, Kroger and FreshDirect, and also received two NEXTY Awards as an impactful organic product.
Tracey Herrmann
SVP, Channel Innovation, Dollar General Corp.
Herrmann was responsible for overall leadership as it related to trends, competition and market share at pOpshelf, a concept billed as a “fun, alternative shopping experience,” with most items priced at $5 or less; she grew pOpshelf to more than 55 free-standing stores, and 14 store-within-a-store formats within DG Market locations. She built a work environment fostering commitment, energy and execution. Thanks to Herrmann, pOpshelf has exceeded expectations in sales and gross margin; the company plans to accelerate store openings, adding about 1,000 locations by the end of 2025, including 100 by the end of 2022.
Jennelle Nystrom
Head of Product, Farmstead
Nystrom shone brightly during a difficult year, helping Farmstead penetrate four new markets: Chicago, Miami, and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; she was also instrumental in launching a new “starter pack” of fresh local SKUs whose basket ring is $60 to $70. Through reviewing, identifying and taking action on data and analytics, she adroitly navigated challenges and opportunities. Nystrom led in researching, evaluating and managing Farmstead’s digital platform to create features that meet users’ needs; by developing a personalization function that lets customers suggest their favorite local products for consideration, she helped further grow basket size, and she also launched an Android app.
SENIOR-LEVEL EXECUTIVES
Jill Bommarito
CEO and Founder, Ethel’s Bakery LLC
Bommarito launched a new 19,000-squarefoot bakery facility, increasing space by 600% and growing sales by 2.2 times during the first part of the year. She recruited several seasoned bakery and food industry executives from large organizations, including a director of operations, a VP of sales, a quality control manager, a plant engineer and a director of HR; this enabled Ethel’s to complete American Institute of Baking certification and become Safe Quality Food Certified. Despite COVID-related challenges, Ethel’s met 100% of orders on time, with an overall price decrease to the market, and is on track to double growth in 2022.
Carol Abel
VP of Education Program Development, FMI — The Food Industry Association
In the face of COVID-19, Abel created high-impact virtual events and interactive online forums that set an industry standard for these types of initiatives, and her work on a new vision for education programming at FMI was seen as a model for others to follow. She also collaborated with her team to reschedule the 2022 Midwinter program and relaunch the event for March 2022. Thanks to Abel, FMI’s Future Leaders eXperience virtual platform engaged almost 250 up-and-coming leaders, with 200 participants earning a Food Retail Leader Certificate based on the skills that they gained through these sessions, which took place over three months.
