Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Additional Information
Timeline
OperationsManager
Thomas Russo

Thomas Russo

Summary

Award-winning sales and marketing executive. With a proven sales acumen, has won large, multi-year negotiations representing up to $150M in revenue and led significant growth on both existing and new accounts. Has delivered strategic digital marketing and demand creation strategies for Retail, eCommerce, and DTC success. Brings trajectory of leading large teams up to ~1,500 members. Focused industry experience in consumer goods. Experienced at partnering with Apple, Google, Amazon, Lowe's, Costco, Target, and others. Takes pride in servant leadership style, aligning values with employees, building shared understanding, removing obstacles, and championing stakeholder collaboration and team culture. Has earned record employee engagement metrics. Demonstrates engaging presentation style, objective decision-making. Thrives in high levels of autonomy, opportunity for action on own ideas. A highly recognized thought leader and strategist both throughout the CPG industry and the world's largest consumer technology companies in Apple, Amazon and Google.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

Senior Business Executive

RESIDEO TECHNOLOGIES, INC
02.2022 - 04.2023
  • Resideo is a leading global provider of home comfort and security solutions, trusted in more than 150 million homes
  • Resideo entered into a definitive agreement to acquire First Alert, Inc
  • From Newell Brands Inc for approximately $590 million on February 6, 2022.)
  • Retained, , Resideo Product & Solutions Division
  • Key retained member of Newell Brands Connected Home & Security Division aiding in the integration of Newell divestiture into the Resideo Product & Solutions organization
  • Led First Alert business segment to record growth in 2022 Net Sales and EBITDA
  • Advised sales, marketing, product organizational restructuring and redesign, removing potential obstacles to hitting financial targets.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

NEWELL BRANDS, NASDAQ: NWL
04.2016 - 02.2022
  • A $11 billion global consumer goods company with a broad portfolio of power brands in large, growing, and unconsolidated global markets.), Marketing, Newell Brands Connected Home & Security Division
  • Divisional Senior Leadership Team member reporting into Chief Operating Officer, leading Global New Product Development, Brand, and Channel Marketing
  • Specialized in DTC and Sales Strategies
  • Provided leadership to Sales & Marketing teams:
  • 2 Sales & Marketing Directors, 23-person Marketing & Sales department, 100+ indirect reports across Sales, Trade, Commercialization, Research, Brand Marketing, Digital Marketing & DTC, Product Owners, UI/UX & Graphic Design, Packaging Engineers, and Marketing Operations teams
  • Alongside VP of Engineering, indirectly managed 250-person multidisciplinary R&D team
  • 1,000+ global division employees across engineering, software, firmware, sourcing, manufacturing, supply chain and quality functions in the development and execution of key business growth acceleration initiatives
  • Successfully rebuilt team 3 times, post-acquisition, pandemic restructuring, post-pandemic
  • Closed exclusive multi-year agreements with significant clients, representing 40% divisional gross revenue, protecting company profitability for up to 5 years
  • Developed, introduced 2 KPIs for Advertising (Online Share of Voice or SOV) and Digital Ad Clickthrough Rate (CTR)
  • Established tracking and competitive benchmarking for 2 key Brand Health metrics: Unaided Brand Awareness and Brand Trust
  • Benchmarks were SOV (54%), CTR (0.17%), Unaided Brand Awareness (12%), and Brand Trust (54%): All category highs
  • Deepened organizational understanding of our SOV and CTR metrics allowed the team to spend Advertising and Promotion (A&P) with deeper efficiency
  • With a goal of limiting A&P to 6% of sales, Q422 we achieved lowering our 5- year average to 4.6% of sales while still exceeding top and bottom-line financial targets every year, 2017-2022
  • Facing Covid crisis, pivoted to recast A&P by leveraging existing assets (up to 90% of media spend was working), contributing to revenue generation in 2020-2021
  • In 2023, achieved 80% working expense
  • Over 3 consecutive years (2020-22), delivered effective integrated marketing campaign, generating incremental $90M in promotions
  • Provided co-leadership of centralized Newell eCommerce division, specializing in DTC strategies that led to double-digit CAGR for 10+ years
  • Expanded winning strategy at Amazon, collaborated with key retail partners to drive POS growth in the Omnichannel with Target.com +82%, Costco.com +43%, Walmart.com +74%, and Lowes.com +40%
  • Built relationships with strategic partners at Apple, Google, Amazon, Lowe's, THD, Costco, Ace Hardware, Target, others
  • Led team to deliver strategic digital marketing and demand creation strategies for DTC success
  • Participated in strategic review, due diligence of strategic asset purchase of Luma Home, acquired by First Alert in early 2018.

Vice President, Sales & Marketing

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
08.2015 - 04.2016
  • 8 billion dollar holding company of world-class consumer products brands with a diverse portfolio of innovative products, over 120 powerful brands and global presence.), reporting to SVP Sales, Retail
  • Led U.S
  • Retail Marketing and Sales, $400M annual revenue brand
  • Created, executed strategic vision and growth plan for First Alert business
  • Grew First Alert business by $100M gross revenue by designing, executing 5-year business growth strategy, including new channels of distribution, brand revitalization, innovation roadmap
  • Regularly sought stakeholder input and challenged traditional approaches to drive success
  • This approach fostered an environment of learning from multiple perspectives and challenging the status quo
  • Led 5-member ecommerce sales team selling to Amazon and other online retailers
  • Grew from $12M to $68M annual revenue
  • Quickly took majority market share (50%+) at accretive margins
  • Launched 3 innovations, generating additional $50-70M revenue and accretive gross margins, including (1) Fire Safety Alarms (No Battery Replacements), (2) Fire Extinguishing (Easy Point & Spray Solution), and (3) Connected Home (Smartphone app and Virtual Assistant Integration)
  • Proposed, executed sales & marketing organizational redesign to enhance productivity, speed-to-market and efficiency
  • Inspired team members to become brand stewards while digitalizing the brand, earning record highs in employee engagement scores
  • Led team to engage in fire safety education in community, contributing to award-winning corporate social responsibility program.

Senior Director of Sales & Marketing

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
08.2012 - 08.2015
  • Led U.S Retail Sales, Brand Marketing, Creative Services, and Sales Support teams.
  • Launched 12 new product lines and revitalized a mature category, earning dozens of awards for innovation
  • Led brand, advertising, public relations, social media, public policy, market research and media communications teams
  • Contributed to successfully negotiate, close multi-year, category-exclusive distribution agreements with Lowe's, Costco, Target and Ace Hardware, representing $150M annual gross revenue
  • Designed, implemented product innovation and commercialization strategy leading to major line review wins; regularly partnering with stakeholders for input
  • Exceeded forecasted revenue by 170% and achieved market leadership, growing from 40% to 60% market share by implementing end-to-end go-to-market strategy
  • Championed divisional innovation program, contributing to launching new product lines that went on to represent 50% of divisional revenue, increasing employee engagement to 60% for the first time
  • Created new go-to-market strategy focused on simplifying the shopper experience via content roadmaps and enhanced merchandising
  • Earned $20-30M in promotions from customers by providing customized shopper and consumer insight thought leadership.

Marketing Manager

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
12.2009 - 08.2012
  • Owned account strategy, promotional calendar, and merchandising executions for products with distribution in electrical wholesale, builder and retail, including Lowe's, Walmart, Target, Ace Hardware, Costco, Menards, Amazon and several other accounts
  • Hired, managed 6 channel marketing managers
  • Provided oversight on pricing approvals, customer presentations, promotions & planogram development
  • Staffed, managed creative services team of 6, including graphic designers, technical writer, creative copywriter and marketing communications coordinator.

Government Affairs Manager

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
01.2007 - 12.2009
  • Contributed to enacting 8 statewide mandates requiring carbon monoxide alarm products in homes and transient dwellings resulting in incremental placements accounting for 30% of annual revenue
  • Identified weakness in communication process with field sales team and initiated process improvement resulting in increased merchandising placement
  • Established a retail crisis response tactic following media coverage of regional fire safety incidents for incremental placement of product and educational materials in stores
  • Secured industry and trade awards for innovative fire extinguishing product that resulted in $10 million incremental retail placement.

Education

B.A. - Political Science and Government

North Carolina State University

M.B.A - Internet Marketing Concentration

Benedictine University
2024

Skills

  • Business Growth and Commercialization Strategies
  • Executive Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Top Talent Recruiting and Retention
  • People and Culture
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • DTC & E-Commerce Solutions
  • B2B Sales Growth Strategies
  • Contract Negotiation
  • Partner Relationship Management
  • Public Relations and Media Spokesperson
  • New Product Development

Additional Information

  • Awards:, Best Integrated Marketing and Social / Influencer, Newell Brands, 2020-2022PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award, 2020 Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) Package Award to Onelink Safe & Sound product, 2020Green Builder Award, 2020 Good Housekeeping – Lab Pick, 2020Parents Magazine – Best Family Tech Award, 2020 Tom's Guide: Best Smoke Detector Round Up, 2020Good Housekeeping Research Institute, (2019)Good Design Award, by Japan Institute for Design and Promotion, (2019)Consumer Electronics magazine award, (2019)Carbon Monoxide Award, by CNET, (2018)Mom's Choice Award, by Environment Monitor, (2018)Design of the Times Silver Award for creation of Interactive Security Camera Display, 2011

Timeline

Senior Business Executive

RESIDEO TECHNOLOGIES, INC
02.2022 - 04.2023

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

NEWELL BRANDS, NASDAQ: NWL
04.2016 - 02.2022

Vice President, Sales & Marketing

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
08.2015 - 04.2016

Senior Director of Sales & Marketing

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
08.2012 - 08.2015

Marketing Manager

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
12.2009 - 08.2012

Government Affairs Manager

JARDEN CORP, NYSE: JAH
01.2007 - 12.2009

B.A. - Political Science and Government

North Carolina State University

M.B.A - Internet Marketing Concentration

Benedictine University

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Thomas Russo