Brenda Kuster

• Director of Product Management for Customer Experience and Business Trends. Built and led an organization comprised of various product, technical, and science teams who delivered business, technology, financial, and customer experience insights and benchmarking data on Amazon and relevant 3rd parties. The scope of this work included worldwide Retail, Operations, Selling Partners, Brand Building, Advertising, AWS/Cloud, Devices/Digital, Physical Stores, and Grocery businesses. • Founded a new and innovative corporate strategy team focused on analyzing business, technology, investment, and financial insights and data to identify trends and future business ideas in order to better serve customers. • Recruited, developed, and led cross-functional teams who analyzed the competitive environment and conveyed results through highly tailored strategic and data-driven reports. • Designed and built technical products (e.g., trend detection models, eCommerce performance metrics) and capabilities for benchmarking financial, business, and internal processes and technology. • Owned and directed central data engineering team to manage business intelligence and data infrastructure for the organization, including scaling social media data usage to surface critical customer trends and sentiment. • This work drove corporate strategic decisions and key business changes across Amazon to grow multiple businesses and improve the experience for a broad set of customers (e.g., Consumers, Sellers, Advertisers, Influencers, Developers/Builders, Enterprises, Startups).

• Senior leader in the Global Benchmarking organization, directing a team responsible for competitive analysis through measuring technology and business performance across all aspects of the customer experience. Built and mobilized a cross-functional team to create new and innovative methodologies to measure business performance, analyze data, and develop technical and business solutions. • Partnered closely with leaders across all of Amazon to identify actions and strategies based on Benchmarking data, findings, and recommendations. Ensured alignment across cross-owned initiatives and unblocked growth and improved customer experience.

• Hired and led team in Benchmarking organization focused on product and customer insights for Amazon eCommerce business. Developed new techniques managing both tech and non-tech teams to design experiments, collect data, and improve business process in domains spanning Retail, Seller, Operations, Internal Tools/Developer experience. • Authored and delivered strategic research that highlighted performance gaps, areas of improvement, strategy and aligned owners implementing change.

• Built and cultivated a global team that owned and drove improvements to Seller Support operations, Seller experience, and Associate-facing tools through creation of technology, product, business, and process solutions. • Owned core operational and business metrics (e.g., Time to Resolution for Seller-facing issues) and business intelligence metrics and dashboards. Implemented improvement projects with Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen methodologies. • Led the global, 24/7, escalation team that managed all high severity events impacting the Seller Support network.

• First Vendor Manager and founding team member for AWS Data Center Infrastructure Supply Chain team. • Led global strategic sourcing and responsible for developing supply chain strategy and rationalization of existing/new suppliers. Developed supply strategy for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) vs. ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) models and implemented new world-wide sourcing and manufacturing methods.

• Led team of senior program managers responsible for leadership of single largest company-wide program to meet 2010 EPA emissions regulations. Developed product, engineering, and manufacturing scope that impacted every truck model and manufacturing facility and included engine installation, cooling system, electronic engine controls, aftertreatment integration, and on-board diagnostics in all PACCAR vehicles (e.g., Kenworth, Peterbilt). • Negotiated commercial agreements with engine and aftertreatment suppliers. Implemented best practices for cost management, quality targets, and manufacturing and supply base readiness. • Responsible for successful implementation across all PACCAR divisions including Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, Marketing, Information Technology, PACCAR Technical Center (testing and engineering reliability), DAF/Leyland (European Divisions), and PACCAR Parts (Aftermarket Sales Division), reporting to PACCAR executive board.

• Lead Procurement manager for commercial relationships with global suppliers, responsible for over $1B of annual purchases. Negotiated commercial agreements and led strategic planning for supply base (e.g., new supplier identification/selection, exit strategies for low performing suppliers, and product cost, cost reduction, quality, technology, delivery, and customer service goals). Conducted in-depth, on-site supplier facility audits, assessing suppliers’ business, quality, and manufacturing practices and capabilities. • Identified, built, and cultivated successful partnerships between suppliers and all PACCAR Divisions and leadership teams. Oversaw identifying and troubleshooting both commercial and technical challenges to ensure successful partnerships.

I participated in a company-wide employee restructuring program with the goal to increase industry competitiveness. As part of HR team, I created and led financial analyses to ensure that restructuring costs were accurate and feasible within German labor law regulations.

• Owned multiple large-scale engineering projects with budgets of over $100M, including supervising teams of engineers, architects, and contractors. • Led the planning, design, contract award, and engineering construction management for transportation and water/wastewater systems capital improvement projects. • Developed environmental impact statements including performing technical research and officially addressing public comments. Conducted management consulting project for a public utility with emphasis on public agency productivity.