Philip Brown

Managed American Indirect Procurement, Sourcing and Strategic Category functions for a $3.5 B Global Manufacturer of Plant Based ingredients.

Managed all Own Brand Category and Business Development strategies within Grocery for 50 member organizations with annual revenues in excess of $1.B. Communicated and worked directly with all Cross-functional business units including: Marketing, Finance, Legal, Quality and Operations to leverage opportunities, mitigate obstacles and drive performance. Identified product innovation and differentiation strategies, developed and delivered on project timelines, executed short and long-term agreements, developed product specifications and enhanced business relationships with key strategic suppliers. Initiated and managed financial, cost savings and KPI programs and analysis.  Developed and Executed strategic category business and innovation plans across the Cereal, Soup & Bars product portfolios accounting for over $400M in annual sales.  Managed the End to End creation, rebranding and launch of Full Circle Organic Hot and Cold Cereal items which met project deadlines and delivered 11% sales growth.  Partnered with key stakeholders to provide product and price recommendations, to best position Own brands against national brands to maximize sales.  Utilized Nielsen, IRI and additional data sources to initiate new item development within the Soup and Broth categories which led to an annual sales increase of 13%.  Project lead for the development of Topco’s Category and Sourcing Best practices.

Managed all Merchandising activities and Development strategies of major Foodservice categories for US. Foods that exceeded $1.2B in annual revenue. Communicated and worked directly with all business functions including Culinary, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Legal, Quality and Operations to leverage opportunities, mitigate obstacles and drive performance. Developed, managed and enhanced product differentiation strategies, short and long-term agreements, product specifications and business relationships with key strategic suppliers. Initiated and managed financial, cost savings and KPI programs and analysis. • Managed and developed the Frozen Potato, Pasta and Pizza categories resulting in a $20M increase in sales and a 25% improvement in gross profits.  Initiated and negotiated Non-RFP cost-savings opportunities in excess of $6M  Drove private brand penetration in the key frozen categories through product differentiation and the development of both domestic and international suppliers.  Initiated and Led the National Sales and Marketing program re-launch of the Frozen Potato category. The End to End process, which was completed in less than 4 months, included over 100 items and increased category margins and sales by 25%.  Collaborated with R&D and Lamb Weston to develop and launch the #1 Exclusive Brand item for US. Foods in 2013.

Managed all Private Brand Development strategies and End to End activities of major retail categories for Walgreens that exceeded $1B in annual revenue. Communicated and worked directly with all business functions including Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Quality and Operations in support of the Candy, Grocery, Cookies, and Pet categories. Developed, managed and enhanced product development strategies, long-term agreements, product specifications, designs and business relationships with key strategic suppliers. Initiated and managed all category related financial and program analysis. • Developed and managed 125 Grocery items under the NICE and GOOD & Delish brands, resulting in a 10% increase in sales and 40% in gross profits.  Increased gross margin and sales in excess of 60% in the Cookie/Cracker category through retail adjustments, vendor negotiation and product replacements.  Managed the rebranding and commercialization of over 80 Candy items under the NICE and Good & Delish brands - within 5 months’ time.  Managed the End to End product development and Re-launch of the Pet Shoppe brand. This initiative, which included over 60 items, resulted in improved sales and gross margins by over 150% and garnered the 2011 PLMA design excellence award.

Managed all related Procurement strategies and activities of major ingredient and component categories for Kraft Foods. Communicated and worked directly with all business functions including Marketing, Finance, R&D, Operations, Materials Management and External Manufacturing supporting Foodservice, Oscar Mayer, Snacks, Pizza, Canadian and Grocery business units. • Managed and developed key ingredient categories totaling $160M in annual spend. • Initiated and managed strategic sourcing programs for major ingredient categories including, pasta, breadcrumbs and pizza crusts. • Developed and coordinated category sourcing, product innovation and development activities for all Oscar Mayer Lunchables promotions and programs.

Managed Global Procurement of Capital Equipment, Engineering and Construction Services for 28 Kraft facilities. Managed and coordinated high-level capital projects. Initiated and developed procurement strategies and business relationships with suppliers and contractors.

Managed and developed corporate wholesale and retail accounts in excess of $80M.