Leaders in REM: Claudine Patel

For those who are new here, every week(ish) I'll share various topics that I think are important for the modern leader in Retail Ecommerce Management.

Every so often, I get the privilege to speak with inspirational leaders through my podcast Leaders in REM, and I’d love to start regularly sharing some of my favorite lessons learned from these conversations.

Claudine Patel, CMO at Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, NA, has over 25 years of impressive global experience in the consumer goods and healthcare industry. Having held leadership positions at powerful brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Post Consumer Brands, Claudine has developed a passion for creative disruption and driving growth through customer-centric campaigns and empowered teams.

In our conversation, Claudine shared valuable insights that I'm excited to share with you. Here are some of them:

1. Creativity is a powerful tool for growth. Claudine's exposure to the arts started early on, as she started a radio production house at 16, worked as a former radio DJ, and spent some time in the theater industry. Due to her exposure to the arts, she has always believed in the value of creativity in business. Claudine emphasizes to her team that even though it may not be apparent in their day-to-day tasks, marketing is in the service of the business. Whether they're driving consumer engagement or making small creative decisions, it's important to remember that the ultimate goal of creativity in business is to drive success and growth.
2. Unlock barriers to embrace progress. As CMO at Reckitt, Claudine got her team to embrace a culture of agility. She broke down silos, which enabled her team to build plans in synchronicity and deliver excellent work in less time, such as Tiktok campaigns in five days instead of four weeks. She believes that for plans to be executed properly, you need to have an army rallying behind you and moving at the same pace towards the same vision. According to Claudine, she may not be the smartest person in the room, but she enjoys removing barriers that hinder her team from moving with speed and showcasing their brilliance.
3. Adopt a challenger mindset. According to Claudine, comfort is our enemy. Being comfortable in one spot leads to becoming obsolete in no time. She always pushes boundaries, and it's one of the reasons she is a great fit for Post Consumer Brands, a company that is at the forefront of driving disruptions. During her time in the company, she would have conversations with the leadership team that made them all feel uncomfortable, because that's when they were able to explore new possibilities and ways to innovate.
4. Find a mentor who are constantly learning. At Kraft, Claudine's mentors are one of the things she loves about working at the company. They are not only successful and intelligent but are also always hungry to become better. Working with them has opened up her thinking and taught her to embrace not only an openness to disruption but also the humility to learn from others. Claudine has learned that she could learn a lot from the unique insights of other people, and her mentors' approach to leadership showed her that.

As someone who values creativity, agility, disruption, and learning, I found Claudine's insights on these topics to be truly inspiring. To hear more from her, be sure to check out the full interview on the Leaders in REM podcast, available on Spotify and Apple.