HALLIE SMITH

• Direct a high-performing team of four in shaping and executing convenience channel strategy for national and regional accounts, including 7-Eleven (#1) and Circle K (#4).
• Lead strategic development of automated reporting tools, business reviews, new item meeting processes, and year-end reviews to enhance efficiency and decision-making.
• Stepped in as interim leader for the Small Format team of seven, expanding strategic oversight to Drug, Dollar, E-Commerce, and On-Premise channels.
• Drive category growth by setting strategic priorities, guiding trend identification, and steering data-driven assortment, pricing, and promotional initiatives.
• Cultivate senior-level retailer partnerships, influencing strategic decisions and aligning category plans with enterprise objectives.
• Oversee high-impact category resets and merchandising programs, ensuring flawless execution and measurable gains in customer experience and shelf performance.

• Directed a team of six across Grocery, Mass, Liquor, and C-Store, setting strategic priorities, defining operating frameworks, and ensuring execution excellence during ~10 months in interim Director role.
• Oversaw 430+ Category Development initiatives across 13 accounts and four channels, delivering 11.8M in volume through targeted growth strategies and team-led execution.
• Drove innovation and brand importance through 18 annual wholesaler meetings and 18 New Item Meetings.
• Championed the creation and adoption of standardized reporting tools, accelerating speed-to-market and improving decision-making across commercial teams.
• Influenced senior leadership through high-impact insights and strategic recommendations delivered in executive-ready dashboards and presentations.

• Supported 7-Eleven category strategy, leading the team to deliver +18.9% volume vs. PY and +59.2% vs. BP, gaining +1pt market share YoY and achieving a 43.9% Energy share, outpacing Monster by +1.6 share points.
• Secured strategic cooler placements—10,000 units across 7-Eleven—projected to generate +31.5M incremental cans annually through enhanced product visibility and accessibility.
• Expanded assortment and space allocation across 7-Eleven and Speedway, achieving 93% core SKU placement and an average of 21 SKUs per store, driving PODs, displays, and incremental sales lift.
• Drove retailer engagement through monthly and quarterly category reviews, converting raw data into executive-level insights that informed business evolution, optimized KPIs, and increased profitability.
• Led talent development within the 7-Eleven Category Management team, coaching a senior analyst in data interpretation, insight generation, and strategic storytelling to strengthen the Red Bull–7-Eleven partnership.

• Led consumer insights strategy, overseeing qualitative and quantitative research that shaped marketing direction, strengthened brand relevance, and delivered measurable financial growth.
• Managed 70% of the consumer insights budget, ensuring optimal ROI through disciplined financial stewardship, strategic project selection, and efficient resource allocation.
• Implemented consumer-centric initiatives—including brand profiles, campaign recaps, and scorecards—that enhanced growth strategies, increased engagement, and aligned decision-making with senior leadership priorities.
• Streamlined insights-to-action processes by creating standardized templates and frameworks for business landscape analysis, enabling faster identification of challenges and opportunities.
• Founded and led the Consumer Insights Cross-Divisional Group, fostering collaboration, accelerating knowledge sharing, and unifying best practices across teams.

• Led Meijer's center store reflow project, conducting pre/post analysis to quantify impact and delivering insights that informed cross-functional decision-making.
• Developed category reviews for PepsiCo's partnerships with Meijer and Hy-Vee, leveraging data and storytelling to drive share growth, SKU optimization, and strategic shelf placement.
• Streamlined Joint Business Planning and Growth Summit processes, improving efficiency, accelerating growth initiatives, and enhancing execution quality.
• Automated scorecards in Power BI and Excel, reducing non-working hours and increasing productivity through improved reporting efficiency.
• Maintained operational stability during team transitions by assuming additional responsibilities beyond scope while supporting senior leadership priorities.

• Led On-Premises Category Management New Business insights, crafting the “Why PepsiCo?” story and delivering fact-based recommendations that expanded the Restaurant and New Business portfolio through cross-functional alignment with Sales and Marketing.
• Secured $395M in net revenue from Pizza Hut's 2017 RFP, doubling average weekly 20 oz. unit sales YoY despite flat beverage sales and a +4% on-premise decline; supported additional RFP wins totaling over $209M across multiple national accounts.
• Directed the Beverage Optimizer rollout for on-premise, establishing business rules, leading training, and ensuring execution tracking—driving +9% net revenue growth in 2017.
• Standardized vending merchandise practices by gaining SLT alignment and presenting at the Vendor Leadership Council, resulting in the 2018 implementation of updated national standards.
• Developed a formal on-premise scorecard system and centralized reporting hub, accelerating decision-making, boosting cross-functional productivity, and reducing report preparation time by 50%+.

• Led merchandise strategy development, creating core and innovative assortments that differentiated the brand by season and market trends in partnership with the VP of Buying and financial merchandising.
• Directed vendor management and negotiations for domestic and international partners, securing favorable pricing, delivery terms, and new product introductions.
• Managed and developed two assistant buyers (dotted line), fostering an efficient, results-driven team environment with clear objectives and open communication.
• Delivered data-driven business performance analysis and competitive benchmarking to the VP of Buying, informing strategic decisions and growth opportunities.
• Orchestrated cross-functional alignment with planning, allocation, marketing, store operations, design, quality assurance, and logistics to ensure flawless assortment execution from concept to market.