Christopher M Ruf

Responsible for driving profitable share growth as well as building a best in class team culture for the DiGiorno business. • Management of the business analysis and forecasting of the DiGiorno portfolio including leading the Monthly Business Planning Process and effective work with cross-functional partners to manage through ad hoc business needs. • Collaborate with CCSD in developing strong sell in stories to achieve product acceptance and distribution goals of new products • Lead cross-functional teams to develop and execute innovation strategies, launch new products/brands, and meet required business objectives • Partner with CMI and Analytics team to execute research plans that yield rich insights to be translated into actionable growth programs for the business

Led external and in-house creative agencies to create best in class advertising & promotion programs. • Led the development and execution Stouffer’s ‘More is More’ campaign, including TVC, print, digital, search & in-store programming, exceeding both industry and Nestle pre-defined creative benchmarks while driving impressive in market performance • Developed key brand documents to clearly define what the brand stood for in the hearts and minds of consumers to ensure messaging was relevant and meaningful to the consumer at all touchpoints across the consumer journey • Actively managed the Stouffer’s marketing budget, providing accurate tracking and forecasting of marketing spend to ensure dollars were allocated to top performing tactics that maximized ROI • Led Stouffer’s key drive times strategy, collaborating with OMNI/Shopper Marketing, Market Research, and analytics team to develop comprehensive, measurable, retailer specific programs aimed at winning in market during high traffic periods • Brand lead on eCommerce strategy for base and innovation, working with retailer teams to manage content and optimizing the customer experience

Passionate team leader on the Hot Pockets brand, focused on growing the business and building a winning culture. Recognized for successfully leading cross functional teams, driving results, and constantly challenging the status quo. • Developed a clear and compelling portfolio strategy, including new brand architecture, focused on maximizing profitable growth by utilizing consumer insights to develop customer centric products, driving household penetration, and improving loyalty and buyrate • Helped coordinate the annual planning process for the marketing team, including MBS (3 year strategic plan), Integrated Commercial Plan ICP, and Annual Business Plan • Created the go-to-market and commercialization strategy for Hot Pockets High Protein, which enabled incremental in-store SKU placements at key retailers as well as top line growth • Conducted annual innovation ideation sessions in collaboration with cross-functional and external partners, generating winning opportunities for both brand innovation and renovation resulting in a robust product pipeline • Streamlined and standardized new graphics process, reducing lead time to market and cutting costs

Worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Professor George Cook while attending the Simon Business School. Courses included: • Undergraduate MKT 101: Intro to Marketing Course • Graduate Level MKT 402: Marketing Communications • Graduate Level MKT 433: Advertising and Promotions

Student enrolled in the Full time MBA program at the Simon Business School. Concentrations include: • Brand Management • Organizational & Competitive Strategy • Pricing

MBA Brand/Strategy Intern assigned to the Power Wheels brand. • Developed and recommended a shared basket approach for the company website with the objective of increasing basket size by promoting more cross purchases of Mattel/Fisher-Price toys and equipment • Conducted competitive research to identify any gaps in the category as well as research on growth potential for new markets to penetrate outside of North America • Worked with CMI to lead a focus group, yielding meaningful consumer insights for new product launch • Led cross functional team meetings consisting of engineers, procurement, finance, and sales

Supported the Product and Communication Brand Managers for several renown contact lens brands. • Actively monitored the rebate program and streamlined the rebate process, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics year over year • Partnered with the sales team by creating informative promotional materials for eye care professionals based on feedback and refinements as to which messaging worked best with which customers • Created key brand documents, including the buyer persona for the revolutionary MyDay contact lens to ensure the brand targeted the right audience, in a relevant way, with the right message, in channels where the target could be found • Collaborated with cross functional partners to provide input into new product development and portfolio management, including the discontinuing of poorer performing products

Helped launch and grow a startup company in the housing industry, leading all marketing and sales initiatives. • Researched market data and inventory to identify properties with high margin upside for acquisition • Targeted buyers for the resale of renovated properties at the residential and commercial level • Generated all pertinent marketing materials to inform and attract potential buyers as well as materials to generate demand from sellers looking to offload homes in foreclosure

Marketing leader responsible for the creation and implementation of all marketing communications and sales materials for startup healthcare company. • Designed all promotional marketing materials for sales team including brochures, presentations, and product/service sell sheets • Helped design and implement the company website to drive awareness of products and services • Used sales data to forecast demand for various products and services, identifying ways to segment consumers based on critical vs less urgent need and prioritizing as such to ensure demand was met in a timely manner • Formalized marketing process by developing marketing plans; including segmentation, messaging, demand creation, pricing, and metrics for evaluating effectiveness of programs and campaigns