Thirty years building CPG brands. Now I help operators and founders do the same — faster.
From Dixie and Sparkle at Georgia-Pacific to a $2B global tissue portfolio at Essity, then twelve years building TABS Analytics through two acquisitions and its sale to TELUS. Now an independent advisor and angel investor based in Asheville.
Get in touch See how I helpWhere I help
Three problems I see again and again in consumer brands — and how I work through them.
"Your product is strong, but the brand doesn't have a clear point of view."
Most brands die from positioning drift, not product failure. I work through consumer insight, competitive context, and category structure to find the position your brand can own — and the proof points that make it real on shelf.
"Your category is consolidating, and you're losing relevance."
When categories shift, the brands that survive are the ones that see it coming and reposition deliberately. I've redesigned portfolios at $2B+ global scale and brand-by-brand at Georgia-Pacific. The work isn't glamorous, but it's how brands stay on shelves for twenty years.
"You've got the data, but it isn't telling you what to do."
Data alone doesn't generate strategy. I spent the last twelve years building analytics and consulting practices for 100+ CPG manufacturers — translating harmonized consumer, retail, and shopper data into the decisions that actually move sales. AI is starting to make the biggest difference here, and it's where I'm spending the most time now.
Advisory
I work with a small number of CPG operators and founders. Three ways engagements usually take shape:
Positioning & brand strategy
Find the position your brand can own, and the proof points that make it real — from consumer insight and competitive context through to what shows up on shelf.
Category & portfolio strategy
See category shifts coming and reposition deliberately. Portfolio architecture and innovation platforms, whether at a single brand or across a global lineup.
Data → decisions
Turn harmonized consumer, retail, and shopper data — increasingly AI-driven — into go-to-market moves that actually shift sales.
Angel investing in CPG
I'm an active angel investor in early-stage consumer brands, mostly pre-seed through Series B. I'm drawn to sharp teams building real products in categories I know well — and I bring more than a check: positioning, category strategy, and thirty years of operating pattern-recognition. If you're building something in CPG, I'd like to hear about it.
Tell me about your companyBackground
Thirty years across brand management, global portfolio leadership, and CPG analytics.
Building brands at consumer scale
Brand and senior brand manager at Georgia-Pacific, running Dixie Ultra paper plates, Sparkle paper towels, and Soft'n Gentle bath tissue. Earlier roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb on Excedrin and Henkel on Renuzit and Armour Star.
The positioning and innovation platforms I built then — Dixie's strength-and-reliability story, Sparkle's affordable all-around-the-house value — still anchor those brands on shelves today.
Architecting global portfolios
Brand Director for TENA North America, where I created the overnight segment that grew to 25% of NA sales in two years before scaling globally. Then Global Brand Director in Munich, leading a $2B branded tissue portfolio — Tempo, Plenty, Regio, Sorbent, Zewa, Edet, and the rest.
Consolidated 12 brands onto three global positioning platforms. Built an innovation pipeline that hit a 60%+ concept success rate against a 30% benchmark. Designed the brand-positioning methodology that became the standard across Essity's full ~$4B consumer portfolio.
Scaling analytics & consulting
VP and then General Manager at TABS Analytics, leading data harmonization, category management, RGM, and shopper analytics for 100+ CPG manufacturers — competing directly with NIQ, Circana, and Kantar. Full P&L for a 50-person group.
Carried the business continuously through two acquisitions (Blacksmith Applications in 2020; TELUS in 2021), grew it at a double-digit annual rate, and made the build-vs-buy call on an in-house AI capability that launched in 2026.
Independent practice
Asheville-based. Working with CPG operators and founders on brand positioning, category strategy, and go-to-market, and investing as an angel in early-stage CPG.
Georgia-Pacific · Essity · TABS Analytics · TELUS · Diageo · PepsiCo · Mark Anthony Brands · Nestlé · Colgate · William Grant · Bristol-Myers Squibb · Henkel · and 100+ other CPG manufacturers
"He doesn't just understand the technology and how an organization can use it to accelerate growth — he translates complex concepts into actionable insights that drive real business value for his customers."
Tom Hobart
VP, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods
Asheville, North Carolina
Let's talk.
Whether you're an operator wrestling with positioning, a founder raising a round, or a team that needs data to actually point somewhere — get in touch.
Email me