Leaders of Change: Jie Cheng

JIE CHENG is the Director of Global eCommerce and Digital Marketing at the Campbell Soup Company, where she leads eCommerce for the Pepperidge Farm business. In her role, Jie also oversees the Campbell China eCommerce business and leads digital strategy for Campbell’s global brands. Jie is a well-regarded digital leader who, during her 10+ years digital journey, left digital footprints for many iconic brands in global markets. Prior to joining Campbell in 2015, Jie was the Head of Digital Marketing, International Markets at The Hershey Company. Originally from China, Jie came to US in ’98 to pursue her M.B.A. degree from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, in Arizona. She since has been living in both Canada and US.

Why did you choose to pursue eCommerce in your career? It’s a fascinating space that no one seems to really have it figured it out -- yes, even Amazon -- and its ever-evolving nature motivates me to learn something new every day.

What is your biggest strength, and how have you used it for your success in eCommerce? I consider my global experience as my biggest strength so I can put things in perspective. For example, I can usually identify global trends and transferable learnings or practices across markets in the eCommerce space.

What is the weirdest skill or talent to come in handy in your eCommerce experience? Not really a weird skill, but I think my Chinese background helped me greatly understand China’s dynamic eCommerce market with depth, especially when relating to social and cultural phenomena. Since my role covers China eCommerce, the knowledge and cultural understanding come in handy.

How have you most successfully influenced change within your organization (or with your clients)? I always jokingly say that I’m part lobbyist, part teacher and part connector in my job. A huge part of my role is to influence management with strategic initiatives and get buy-in and meanwhile teach the organization how to market in a digital world. I use many one-to-one meeting opportunities to influence upper management and run digital learning sessions to train the organization. The savvier the stakeholders and peers are about digital and eCommerce, the more easily the work gets done.

What was your most “valuable” career failure, and why? I used to say "yes" to almost everything, because I want people to perceive me as having a can-do attitude. That caused burnout at one point and now I’m learning to say “no” and say it with good rationale and with respect. Time is a limited resource and we can only do so much. Being able to prioritize is a must-have strategic skillset in today’s ever-demanding world.

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life? I started to listen to audiobooks about 5 years ago, and it helped me to catch-up with reading and also use time more productively, especially when doing trivial house chores :).

What are you learning right now? I’m practicing Chinese calligraphy over the weekends. I love Chinese calligraphy and for me, it’s not just an art, it’s a meditation which helps me to concentrate and detach from the everyday busy life for just a moment.

What are the 1-3 books you’ve gifted the most or that have greatly influenced your life, and why?

I read quite a lot across a broad range of topics. Therefore, I would say many books have influenced me greatly and helped shape who I am today. Among which, “The History of Chinese Philosophy” by Feng Youlan, Romain Rolland’s “Jean-Christophe” and Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” are my all-time favorites. Also I recently finished Walter Isaacson’s new book “Leonardo Da Vinci." I was fascinated by the Renaissance man’s endless curiosity and incessant pursuit of knowledge, as well as his principles of developing a “complete mind.” Books such as this resonate with my philosophy of being a lifelong learner and will continue to have an impact on me.

If you could have a gigantic billboard for the world to see with anything on it, what would it say, and why? I love this quote from Albert Einstein (and I actually use it as background picture for my LinkedIn profile), “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” I love the quote because first, success means different things to different people and oftentimes, the more we aim at it, the more we are going to miss it. But if we are aiming at adding value to everything we do, success becomes the unintended side effect of our dedication to a greater cause.

What are the worst recommendations or advice you have heard related to eCommerce? “People will never buy grocery online"...I heard this about 5 years ago.

What advice would you give to a future leader of change about to enter business, or specifically the eCommerce field? Let me use a great quote from Alvin Toffler, the futurist and author of “Future Shock.” “The illiterate of 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, relearn.” Being able to unlearn is a skillset, just as important as learning. In the eCommerce field, this is particularly important. What worked yesterday with old technology becomes irrelevant today so you need quickly “unlearn” the old way, then relearn old skill with a new approach. I’ve been using this quote at work. I think, ultimately, we all need be lifelong learners in today’s world.

What specific, industry-related change do you believe will happen that few others seem to see? I believe with the continuous integration of online and offline retail, online and offline will reach a state of equilibrium -- with online stores mainly offering convenience, offline mainly offering experience...

What is the last thing you bought online, and why? Last thing I bought was coffee and I’m on Nespresso’s monthly subscription program so the order is automatically placed at the beginning of every month. Product like coffee tends to have very strong brand affinity -- I now only drink Nespresso coffee at home. It is a staple for most people and has a very consistent consumption rate -- every month, my family consumes around 120 cups of coffee -- so perfect for online subscription order. It saves time and I never run out of coffee!

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Leaders of Change is a weekly interview series featuring select industry pioneers who are driving the evolution of commerce, the consumer and everything in between. If you would like to recommend a Leader of Change for consideration, please reach out to me on LinkedIn.