First Movers: Veeral Shah
Veeral Shah is the Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Development for Nestlé USA. In this role, he leads a team of 125+ sales & marketing leaders responsible for commercial development, category strategy, volume / trade planning, eCommerce sales & strategy, shopper marketing, and strategic revenue management across all channels for Nestle USA.
Prior to this role Veeral Shah was the Vice President / General Manager, eCommerce at Campbell Soup where he built the cross functional Campbell’s eCommerce team. He also held a number of other leadership roles at Campbell Soup such as VP of Customer Planning & Strategy and VP of Sales – Growth Channels.
Before joining Campbell Soup in 2011, Veeral worked for Johnson & Johnson on the Brand Marketing team and Kellogg’s where he worked in a variety of Sales and Finance roles.
Veeral is a proud graduate from the University of Michigan and earned his MBA from Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management.
Veeral received the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award in 2018.
Why did you choose to pursue eCommerce in your career? I did not. My guess is that most of the people you talk to who are 10+ years into a career in CPG are in roles they did not necessarily pursue. I have had a unique career path that has spanned roles in Finance, Sales, Marketing, Category Management, and Sales Strategy. Three years ago while at Campbell Soup, I was asked to start a cross-functional team that would be dedicated to eCommerce. I instantly fell in love with the pace, the innovation, and the people within the world of eCommerce. After making the move to join Nestle last year, my role became broad again covering all channels and retailers, but I still maintain responsibility for digital and eCommerce. eCommerce is the tip of the sphere as far as future trends within the Foods industry, one which I believe may come even sooner than anticipated as we all live through this current crisis.
What is your biggest strength, and how have you used it for your success in eCommerce? Networking! I am a 99 on the extravert scale and given that I have not left the house aside from visiting my local grocery store every two weeks, it may be at a 110 right now. I believe I can be friends with anyone. I believe in finding common ground with every person regardless of our differences. And, I genuinely care about keeping in touch with people I’ve worked with well after our careers have led us in different directions. Leveraging that network has been a big part of my success at many points in my career, including when I first picked up responsibility for eCommerce and needed to catch up quickly.
What is the weirdest skill or talent to come in handy in your eCommerce experience? My type-A personality to make lists just to cross things off. There is no better feeling than crossing something off a list. It is a rare skill to find the balance between not writing completed tasks down just to cross them off and not writing things down that you know will not be done for weeks just to taunt you from the paper. You must be born with this skill. It can’t be learned 😉
How have you most successfully influenced change within your organization (or with your clients)? Nestle has an amazing culture that is unlike any that I have experienced in my past. It revolves around our Ways of Winning: Speed, Agility, Courage, and Collaboration. The food and beverage industry is not always one that embraces change but having a clear vision and ensuring I am bringing people along for the journey has helped me successfully influence change.
What was your most “valuable” career failure, and why? We were midway through our transformation at Campbell Soup around Digital and eCommerce when the leadership changed. I wasn’t able to convince the new leadership to continue on the journey we had started so they broke the team apart and put each function back in its parent group. Ultimately, I believe eCommerce has to be embedded into the organization. Building the right foundation and having the proper dedication early will play a big role down the road.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life? Coaching youth sports! I have coached my kids in baseball, basketball, and soccer over the past 7 years and there are a few reasons I believe this has improved my life.
After coaching a baseball team of 10-year-olds required dealing with different personalities, from the kids to the parents to opposing coaches. After that, you can pretty much take on anything.
Additionally, we are all very busy in our day-to-day lives. As a parent, I used to drop off my kids at practice or sit deep in the stands at games. As a coach, I am committed to making time to be there ensuring more time with my kids. There is no meeting more important at 5pm than baseball practice and I am walking out the door to be there.
What are you learning right now? Part of what is great about having a unique background in various functions is that you are always learning. With that said, I am not sure anyone could say truthfully that they were prepared for the current crisis we are in. The last 10 weeks has been a crash course in decision-making, agility, and speed. We are being forced to make decisions without having historical precedent or a good forecast of what is to come. It is exciting and humbling at the same time.
What are the 1-3 songs that would make up your career soundtrack today?
- My Shot from Hamilton: For those who know me, it is no surprise given I am a political junkie and love Hamilton. This song is about taking chances and not missing out on your shot. To me, it means having confidence in yourself to take risks and lean in with your career progression.
- I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty: This speaks to perseverance and hard work to get the job done.
What are the 1-3 books you’ve gifted the most or that have greatly influenced your life, and why?
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: This is my favorite book to not only gift to others, but to read every year. Each time I change roles, I ask my leadership team to read this. The book shares the concept of understanding how each piece fits into the larger puzzle, which helps lead to a high performing team. Written as a fable, it’s a very easy read.
If you could have a gigantic billboard for the world to see with anything on it, what would it say, and why? #NoRegrets
What are the worst recommendations or advice you have heard related to eCommerce? People say that consumers will not move to eCommerce in the Food space. I am sure we have all heard the naysayers – they reason that it is blowing up in Asia but will not here; they say it will do well in other industries, but not food; they say it can do well in Silicon Valley, but not in other parts of the country. I tend to disagree with that advice!
What advice would you give to a future leader of change about to enter business, or specifically the eCommerce field? One of my proudest moments was being asked to go back to my alma mater, the University of Michigan, and speak to an Economics Class. I left them with one piece of advice. Invest in yourself. You can take that in many ways: continue to learn, take time out for yourself, believe in yourself, be healthy. Whatever it means to you. INVEST IN YOURSELF!
What specific, industry-related change do you believe will happen that few others seem to see? I cannot pretend to be smarter than other industry leaders so I wouldn’t say there is something that I see that others do not. However, I do believe we are entering the golden age of supply chain. If my 12 year-old son decided he did not want to be a sportscaster and asked my advice on where to focus his education, I would push him toward this direction. The consumer trend is here but how supply chain keeps up with the consumer trends around the online space will continue to evolve for years to come. Whether it is dark stores, late stage differentiation, robotics, analytics, or something else, supply chain will be critical in getting eCommerce scaled at the next level.
What is the last thing you bought online, and why? The last order I placed was yesterday from Amazon and it included six things that likely couldn’t have been found in the same store anywhere else. This is why Amazon continues to grow. The order included:
- A bike ramp for my son – I attempted to build my own and it was an epic failure so finally gave in and bought one
- A pair of pajama pants – I realize there are days I am still in them at lunch time now that we are working from home so need a few more in the rotation
- A thermometer – Just in case
- A Harry Potter puzzle – to keep the kids busy but likely will keep me busier than them
- WD40 – for my creaky doors
- Protein bars – I constantly feel the urge to snack in my new home office
First Movers is a change leader interview series featuring select industry pioneers who are boldly driving the evolution of digital commerce, the consumer and everything in between.
