I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Michele Meyer about her impressive 30+ year career in the consumer packaged goods industry. Michele held numerous leadership positions at General Mills, culminating in roles leading major operating units. She was able to drive significant growth and transformation throughout her career.

When I asked Michele what has contributed most to her success as an executive, she shared some valuable lessons from her time at General Mills. One key lesson was to "trust the process." She realized that career paths don't always follow a perfect plan, and there are opportunities to learn along the way. Another lesson was finding her strengths and gifts, excelling in those areas, and focusing less on trying to be excellent at everything. This allowed Michele and her teams to operate at their highest level.

Michele also stressed the importance of humility and teamwork. It took her time to understand that the team is as important as any individual. When everyone contributes, the overall result is greater than what any one person could achieve alone. She found success by valuing diverse perspectives on her teams.

As the leader of General Mills' Small Planet Foods division, Michele helped grow the business from $100 million to over $300 million in sales in a short period. A big part of her strategy was trusting and learning from acquired brand founders like Gene Kahn of Cascadian Farm. She brought their valuable perspectives into General Mills' approach. Michele realized General Mills could learn as much, if not more, from smaller companies they acquired. This helped shift General Mills' marketing approach to be more complex, intimate and relationship-driven.

In our discussion, Michele provided insightful perspectives on operating in the natural/organic space from both a marketing and farming supply standpoint. She acknowledged the challenges of meeting growing demand for healthier products while maintaining organic certification requirements. Michele also offered thoughtful perspective on how price sensitivity impacts consumer decisions in this space.

Post-retirement from General Mills, Michele now serves as an Operating Partner at NewRoad Capital Partners. Her experience successfully acquiring and integrating brands serves her well in private equity. Michele emphasized the ongoing value founders bring through their unique visions. She aims to support founders in achieving sustainable growth.

Through our conversation, it was clear that Michele’s success stems from her willingness to learn, her focus on developing diverse teams, and valuing all perspectives - including those from smaller companies. Her career exemplifies how continual learning allows one to take on new challenges across different industries. Michele’s insights provide a great lesson for any professional seeking to maximize their own career impact and contributions.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Ladd, a seasoned private equity investor and board member. Chris shared insights from his extensive career in corporate development, M&A, and private equity. Here are some highlights:

How Chris Identifies High-Potential Companies
When considering investments, Chris looks for two key ingredients - a market need/gap, and a solution that can fill that gap in a way that's core to the customer. Solid management, competition, industry trends etc. matter too, but those two factors are paramount.

Strategic Guidance as a Board Member
In board roles, Chris focuses on bringing structure and strategic frameworks to early-stage companies. This includes testing key assumptions, making sure the right resources are in place, and that management processes align with the strategy. He notes it's a fluid process as strategies morph rapidly in early-stage companies.

Technology's Impact on Business Growth
Chris sees technology and innovation as crucial for driving growth and productivity gains needed in today's competitive landscape. He pointed to the huge amount of remaining manual processes and whitespace in supply chain, logistics and other sectors where there's room for efficiency gains.

The Future of Private Equity
Chris predicts private equity will continue growing as an asset class as more retail/individual investors get exposure. Platforms are emerging to provide individuals with easier access. He sees AI and technology improving processes like deal sourcing, research and analytics on the operations side.

Chris' Best Career Advice
One professor emphasized that business is a grind, so you need to physically and mentally prepare through exercise, proper sleep etc. This has stuck with Chris as great advice for building the endurance required to perform at a high level consistently.

Key Takeaways

- Focus on market gaps and solutions core to the customer
- Provide structure/strategy frameworks to early-stage companies
- Technology will drive productivity and efficiencies
- Private equity access is democratizing for individual investors
- Success requires tremendous effort and lifestyle habits like fitness

I recently had the chance to chat with Stefan Sterns, a partner at private equity firm NewRoad Capital Partners, about his extensive career in investment banking and private equity. Stefan spent over 8 years at Barclays Investment Bank in New York, working on M&A advisory assignments and debt/equity capital raises totaling over $200 billion.

Some of the most valuable lessons Stefan learned during his time in banking included the importance of working with smart, motivated colleagues. He found that being surrounded by driven people who he enjoyed collaborating with helped make long hours more rewarding. Stefan also witnessed major disruptions in the media industry from trends like cord cutting and the rise of streaming services.

We discussed emerging opportunities in retail media networks, an area still in its early stages. Stefan is keeping a close eye on technology solutions that could help consumer goods companies effectively manage hundreds of individual retailer partnerships. Northwest Arkansas' strong expertise in retail and supply chain positions the region well for innovations at the intersection of these industries.

Now at NewRoad Capital, Stefan appreciates gaining deeper operational involvement with portfolio companies post-deal. He finds private equity work especially satisfying when leveraging the firm's retail industry experience to identify problems and potential fixes. Looking ahead, Stefan is focused on navigating current market volatility and seeing where investment opportunities may emerge from industry consolidation.

The conversation offered valuable perspectives on evaluation cycles, sourcing deals, and leveraging domain expertise to generate compelling investment theses. Stefan's background spanning banking, media, and retail private equity provided unique insights into evolving industry landscapes.