Leaders of Change: Nathan Marafioti

NATHAN MARAFIOTI is VP of eCommerce at Nestle Purina North America. He is a bit newer to eCommerce with ~5 years in more eCommerce-focused roles, but finds great value drawing from his experience as a senior marketing leader prior to his transition to eCommerce. Being able to see how the different pieces of an organization fit together (sales, media, marketing, shopper, supply, etc.) within a strategic framework has helped him to gain alignment as he tries to translate eCommerce in the language of large organizations. 

Why did you choose to pursue eCommerce in your career? It wasn’t a focused goal. Rather I had an opportunity to do some cross-functional work that seemed interesting and a great learning experience… and then it kept being interesting. I have always enjoyed being a part of change – as with a lot of good moves, it makes even more sense with the value of hindsight.

What is your biggest strength, and how have you used it for your success in eCommerce? Diversity of experiences. The more I work in eCommerce, the more obvious it becomes to me that this is a role in change management as much as it is an eCommerce role. Having had a great deal of exposure to marketing, sales, shopper, strategic planning, supply, etc… gives me credibility when dealing with groups who I ask to do things differently than they have in the past.

What is the weirdest skill or talent to come in handy in your eCommerce experience? NA...in eCommerce, there are no weird talents. Seems like anything can add value…

How have you most successfully influenced change within your organization (or with your clients)? Focus on the consumer to generate the growth we need… plain and simple. We can work through the rest, but if we understand the consumer needs and the growth impact, we can rally an organization.

What was your most “valuable” career failure, and why? All of them. If I have to pick just one, it would be an NPD that didn’t deliver vs. expectations (we will keep the details minimal to protect the innocent), but had it gone better, I would have advanced quickly… perhaps beyond the experiences that I had gained. By taking a few bigger roles that were closer in, I was able to reinforce a strong foundation. It is easy to want to grow fast, we sometimes need to remember to grow strong first.

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life? Focusing on a positive approach and remembering that the pie can get bigger if we work together. I think that many of us look at careers and companies as zero sum, but the reality is that if we can grow our organizations, there are incremental roles and opportunities for all of us to succeed. If we all pull together, there are enough capes for us all to be heroes… if we each need to win on our own, none of us will long term.

What are you learning right now? The key to success in eCommerce is to be a leader in change management… knowing how to win in eCommerce is only a part of the solution. Being able to rally an organization and create zealots will be what sets the winners of tomorrow apart.

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

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: Just a great reminder that we create a great deal of churn in our world by assuming that we understand why/how others are acting. A simple message and book, but one that I have found to be very powerful and has impacted my approach.
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: I understand that this is a polarizing option, but for me it has been a powerful story that has inspired. We have the potential to be great or not and sometimes we need to trust in ourselves – even when others are less certain.
• David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell: Strengths and weaknesses are intertwined. I think it is easy for us to have a desire to be different/have different without taking the time to realize how strong we actually are and how the limiters that we perceive – may actually be the source of our greatest strengths.

What are the 1-3 songs that would make up your career soundtrack today? Sadly, I’m more of a book guy… as you can see from the 3 books in the section that asks for 1-3…. Honestly, I could have done 10 books.

If you could have a gigantic billboard for the world to see with anything on it, what would it say, and why? “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

When we are trying to implement changes on the scale of what eCommerce needs, we all need to understand that the progress from our ability to push and be a bit unreasonable.  

What are the worst recommendations or advice you have heard related to eCommerce? eCommerce is about the long tail. It is a great way to sell the things that don’t sell other places. It is a niche outlet for niche products.

What advice would you give to a future leader of change about to enter business, or specifically the eCommerce field? Gain exposure to cross functions and understand how the pieces fit and can fit together into a better whole. Individual skill sets will continue to evolve, but if you can develop solutions to problems by thinking holistically, you will always be able to add value.

What specific, industry-related change do you believe will happen that few others seem to see? Very tough to come up with something that others don’t see – lots of ideas floating out there. One of the things that I’m most keen on is Store-Based Click & Collect and home delivery models – we all need to ensure that there is an opportunity for sustainable growth, and for many of us, it is necessary to find ways that provide convenience to consumers in addition to national ship models.

What is the last thing you bought online, and why? Boys pants 5T... my little guy is tall and is outgrowing his pants pretty regularly now.

* * * * * * *

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.