The CPG Guys: What's Brewing in Omnichannel with illycaffè's Cristian Arcangeli
Release Date: 04/23/2025
251. Claudia Calori, VP Global Marketing Personal Health at Philips: Marketing Fundamentals in the Age of AI
The FMCG Guys
In this episode, we’re joined by , VP of Global Marketing for Personal Health at Philips, to talk about what it takes to be a modern marketer. From her early days at P&G to leadership roles at Heineken, Nike, and now Philips, Claudia shares how marketing has evolved—and what fundamentals still hold true. We dig into in-house vs. agency capabilities, the rise of retail media, and why trust is the foundation of strong teams. Tune in to hear about: Claudia’s path from journalism to marketing leadership What she learned at P&G, Heineken, Nike, and Philips Why brand-building still...
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250. Michelle Williams, Data Product Owner at The Very Group: Retail Meets GenAI at Scale - Live at AWS
The FMCG Guys
This episode was recorded live at ’ Shoreditch Office in London as a part of a 5-Part series. You can also watch the episode here: Daniel is joined by , Data Product Owner at The Very Group, to explore how the UK’s leading digital department store is embedding GenAI into its business. Michelle shares the company’s pragmatic approach—focusing on efficiency, scalability, and real business value rather than hype. From launching an AI Guild and upskilling teams to using AWS-powered models to automate 40,000+ product descriptions, she breaks down how GenAI is helping The Very Group...
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249. Rudolf Schneider (Head of Amazon Ads Europe), Alexis Marcombe (CEO at Unlimitall) and Katrina Smart (VP at Mars United): The Future of Retail Media, Live from Shoptalk Europe
The FMCG Guys
Watch on YouTube: In this episode, recorded live at Shoptalk Europe, we discussed the Future of Retail Media in a “Quick Fire” format with Katrina Smart (VP at Mars United Commerce), Alexis Marcombe (CEO at Unlimitail) and Rudolf Schneider (Head of Amazon Ads EU). In the session, we debated the following topics: In the future, will we stop talking about “Retail” Media and see it as part of the broader Media mix? How will measurement be solved and standardised? And will then incrementality be proven? How should brands best structure to engage with RMN’s to have...
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248. Nicole Pilkington, Global Head of eCommerce Acceleration at Barilla: Becoming an FMCG Leader in eCommerce
The FMCG Guys
is the Global Head of E-Commerce Acceleration at Barilla, the world's pasta leader. She joins the show to share how she’s built a career at the forefront of digital commerce, how Barilla is scaling global e-commerce capabilities, and how leadership, collaboration, and curiosity are driving change in the FMCG landscape. Topics covered: Career journey from Johnson & Johnson to Barilla, and evolving through local, regional, and global roles How Barilla built a global eCommerce Acceleration team and supports 35+ markets Building trust and influence with local teams to drive transformation...
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247. Richard Peake, MD at Merchant Gourmet: Growing with Disruption and Quality
The FMCG Guys
is the Managing Director at , a British Foods company founded 30 years ago with a strong focus on making an impact through their healthy, nutritious and quality-oriented product. He joins the show to reflect on how Food brands can still find growth if they have the right vision and execution, how he’s developed his career and his thoughts on how to have a functional company culture. Topics covered: Career background from big FMCG to category disruptors His approach to business and bringing some process to fast growth How they’ve positioned Merchant Gourmet as a genuine brand with a focus...
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246. Search: Entering the AI / LLM Era with Charley Hackerson (CRO at Botify) and Richard Lim (CEO at Retail Economics) - Live at AWS and co-hosted by Marco Kormann
The FMCG Guys
In this special episode, recorded live from AWS’s Shoreditch office, we launch a brand-new 5-part series with Amazon Web Services. You can also watch the episode here: Together with (AWS), we explore how Generative AI is reshaping the way consumers search, discover, and shop — and what that means for brands and retailers. To do that, we are accompanied by two star guests: , CEO at Retail Economics, and , CRO at Botify. Tune in to learn about: How GenAI is disrupting the consumer journey and rewriting the rules of search Why traditional SEO tactics aren’t enough in...
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245. Mehmet Karamollaoglu, Managing Director for Turkey & Eurasia at Mondelez: Speed & Agility for General Managers
The FMCG Guys
is the Managing Director for Turkey & Eurasia at Mondelez International, overseeing 11 dynamic markets. After leaving Turkey to pursue a Master’s degree in the U.S., Mehmet embarked on a global FMCG journey—leading commercial teams and business units across multiple geographies. What truly sets him apart, though, is his deep curiosity and drive to stay ahead—whether it’s understanding the evolving consumer or driving digital transformation in the food industry. He joins the podcast to speak about: His career development across countries and functions The importance of having the...
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Rob Chatwin: M&A Done Right (June '24)
The FMCG Guys
visited us last year to give us a masterclass on how to manage mergers and acquisitions at the heighest level. In this conversation, we go over some of the high stakes Mergers and Acquisitions he participated in, like integrating Avon or The Body Shop into Natura. Tune into this podcast to learn about: His unique life background starting in his native Brazil Career path in Consumer Goods Natura and their track in Mergers and Acquisition Synergetic and non-synergetic acquisitions: why both can work M&A in Consumer Goods right now
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244. Christina Rapsomanikis, VP Connected Commerce at Mars Petcare: From Channel to Central: The changing role of Digital in modern FMCG
The FMCG Guys
is VP of Connected Commerce at Mars Petcare. From sales at Unilever to launching her own DTC business and leading digital at Coty and now Mars, Christina has seen the evolution of e-commerce from every angle. She joins us live from Mars’ London offices to talk about how digital has moved from the sidelines to the center of FMCG strategy. Tune in to hear about: Christina’s career journey across FMCG, beauty, and pet care What “Connected Commerce” really means at Mars Why consumer-centricity is more than a buzzword Building internal alignment with data and tools How leadership has...
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243. Paul Stafford, Head of Retail Media at Superdrug: Building the Beauty Media Network
The FMCG Guys
is Head of Retail Media at the UK’s top high street beauty retailer: Superdrug. Having done it all—Media (Virgin), FMCG (PepsiCo), and now Retail—he took on the challenge of building Superdrug’s Retail Media proposition from scratch. He joins us to share the story of that journey. Tune in to hear about: Paul’s career background Superdrug’s Retail Media journey and where they are right now Main challenges when building an RMN from scratch Understanding Retail Media as a top of the funnel marketing activation channel Building a solid proposition across online and instore Data...
info_outlineIn this episode, our US Partners the CPG Guys are joined by Cristian Arcangeli, Vice President of Omnichannel and Customer Experience at illycaffè, an Italian family business, founded in Trieste in 1933 and committed to offering the greatest coffee to the world.
Find Cristian on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carcangeli/
Find illycaffè on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/illycaffe/
Find Illycaffè online at: https://www.illy.com/en-us
Apply to join the Cornell retail media program https://ecornell.cornell.edu/certificates/marketing/retail-media-strategy/
Cristian answers these questions:
- Can you share pivotal experiences in your journey from working with fashion brands like Gucci and Diesel to your current role at illycaffè?
- How does illycaffè ensure a seamless omnichannel experience for its customers?
- How has illycaffè’s digital business evolved under your leadership? What have been your key objectives in this area?
- How does illycaffè differentiate its digital customer experience from competitors in the market? What have been successful components of this strategy?
- Can you discuss any recent digital innovations at illycaffè that have significantly impacted customer experience?
- How are you leveraging customer data to inform your digital strategies? You have a large presence on Amazon & you have a thriving DTC business. How are you utilizing the generated transaction data?
- In what ways does illycaffè collect and implement customer feedback to improve its digital platforms?
- What emerging digital trends do you believe will shape the future of customer experience in the CPG industry?