Leader Generation

TenloRadio
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Biweekly

Mod Op’s Leader Generation podcast, hosted by Tessa Burg, inspires growth-minded marketers with ideas and insights from industry experts who use progressive strategies to win at marketing.

  1. 16h ago

    EP173: From Pilot To Impact, Building AI That Scales

    Coming up with AI ideas isn’t the struggle for most teams. The real challenge is to make those ideas stick. In this episode, Shashank Kadetotad, Global Senior Director of Enterprise Data Science and AI at Mars, breaks down what helps companies move from interesting pilots to real business impact. He explains why adoption matters just as much as the technology itself, how culture and leadership shape success and why the best AI solution is not always the most complex one.  You’ll get practical advice on involving the right users early, setting clear success and failure criteria for pilots and deciding when to build versus buy. Shashank shares lessons from leading AI work inside major organizations and offers a grounded view of what it takes to scale responsibly. If your team is trying to get more value from AI, this conversation will give you a clearer and more useful way to think about the work.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Shashank Kadetotad: Shashank Kadetotad is the Global Senior Director of Enterprise Data Science and AI at Mars, where he leads the deployment of AI and advanced analytics across global consumer goods operations. With a background that spans Amazon operations, retail and CPG forecasting, and AI leadership across multiple Fortune 500 companies, he has built and scaled enterprise AI platforms that power decisions in supply chain, marketing, and finance. Shashank is recognized for his work on generative AI and multi-agent architectures, with multiple provisional patents focused on applying AI to product innovation, analytics, and consumer engagement. A frequent industry speaker, he is known for making complex AI topics accessible to business leaders while keeping the focus on responsible, high-impact AI in retail and CPG. He can be reached on LinkedIn. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    41 min
  2. EP172: Scaling Digital Solutions With Consistent, Repeatable Results

    Jun 9

    EP172: Scaling Digital Solutions With Consistent, Repeatable Results

    Why do so many promising pilots fail to scale? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with digital transformation leader Kenneth Phua to explore what separates successful pilots from initiatives that never move beyond the testing phase. Drawing on his experience leading digital strategy and transformation programs for global brands, Kenneth shares the common mistakes organizations make when measuring pilot success, why repeatability matters more than one-time wins and how businesses can build the capabilities needed to scale digital and AI initiatives across teams, markets and functions. The conversation also explores the role of leadership in successful transformation. Kenneth explains why empathy, curiosity, trust and a willingness to challenge assumptions are essential for leaders navigating rapid technological change.  Whether you're launching a new digital platform, testing an AI-powered solution or leading enterprise transformation, this episode offers practical insights for turning experimentation into sustainable growth. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Kenneth Phua: Kenneth Phua is a global digital transformation, ecommerce, and AI leader with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations turn digital investments into measurable business growth. Most recently, he served as Global Head of Digital Strategy & Innovation at The Coca-Cola Company, where he led enterprise-scale transformation initiatives across 115 markets and delivered approximately USD $900 million in system value. His work has spanned digital strategy, ecommerce, consumer platforms, first-party data, AI and operating model design. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    34 min
  3. EP 171: Build, Buy Or Partner? How Smart Brands Create New Business Models

    Jun 3

    EP 171: Build, Buy Or Partner? How Smart Brands Create New Business Models

    In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Stephen Trammell, Vice President of New Business Models at Nestlé Purina North America, about what it really takes to build stronger customer relationships in a digital world.  Instead of focusing on the point of sale, Stephen explains how brands can create value across the full pet ownership journey by understanding real needs, solving real pain points and showing up in ways that feel natural and helpful.  The conversation dives into how teams can decide when to build, buy or partner, what makes a pilot worth scaling and why loyalty is a better goal than short-term conversions. This is the conversation for marketers and business leaders who want to think bigger about growth, innovation and the customer experience.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Stephen Trammell: Stephen Trammell is an experienced marketing leader who bridges traditional marketing with digital innovation.  His career in consumer products spans over two decades.  He currently serves as Vice President of New Business Models at Nestlé Purina North America, leading Purina’s portfolio of digital-first brands.  He has worked in marketing research, led billion-dollar brands like Fancy Feast and is currently pioneering digital platforms and apps including myPurina, Petfinder and Petivity’s portfolio of IoT-connected pet care devices and health kits.  Stephen can be reached on LinkedIn. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    21 min

  4. May 26

    EP170: Why Marketers Need To Become Growth Architects

    In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Tariq Hassan about what it really takes to modernize a business for the AI era. Drawing from leadership roles at agencies, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Petco and McDonald’s, Tariq shares lessons from leading transformation at some of the world’s biggest brands. They explore why success with AI is not chasing the newest tools. Instead, it starts with understanding the problem you’re trying to solve, organizing your business around customer needs and using data in ways that build trust—not just transactions.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Guest: Tariq is a transformational, global business leader whose career sits at the intersection of culture, sports, commerce, and technology. With more than 25 years of experience spanning Fortune 50 companies to fast growth startups across a wide range of categories. He’s recognized for modernizing organizations through digital transformation and harnessing culture to drive relevance required to grow in a digital economy. Tariq has served as U.S. Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Office at McDonald’s and Petco and has held global leadership roles at Bank of America and HP. Today, Tariq is Founder and CEO of Light21, an advisory firm helping startups and Fortune-scale companies modernize marketing through AI and data platforms to create digitally enabled customer ecosystems. He also serves as a Google CMO-in-Residence while advising emerging technology and sports ventures. He can be reached on LinkedIn.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    30 min

  5. May 19

    Ep169: AI’s Role In Modern Content Creation

    In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Fabio Ranieri, Head of AI Content Transformation at HP, about what it really takes to create content at scale without losing relevance. Fabio explains why better content doesn’t come from simply making more of it. But rather it comes from better inputs, better audience understanding, and better systems that help marketers create content that fits the product, the customer, and the moment.  Fabio makes a strong case for why AI should free marketers up to focus on bigger ideas, sharper insights, and stronger customer experiences. It’s a smart, grounded conversation for anyone trying to move past the hype and use AI in a more meaningful way. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Fabio Ranieri: Fabio is a growth and innovation leader with 18 years of global experience in product marketing, partner marketing, category management, and go-to-market strategy across B2B, B2C, e-commerce, SaaS, Telco, and consumer product sectors. Known for turning ambiguity into opportunity, he specializes in launching and scaling new experiences and products, driving digital transformation, and orchestrating high-impact GTM strategies across highly complex organizations. He’s led end-to-end initiatives that delivered real business outcomes—from redesigning HP’s global e-commerce channel experience, launching and leading new product lines and categories, to introducing Intuit QuickBooks’ new mid-market offering. Always action-oriented, analytical, and creative, Fabio bridges the gap between product, marketing, and sales to maximize impact. He can be reached on LinkedIn.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    29 min

  6. May 13

    EP168: Why Cheap CPMs Are Dead & Outcomes Matter More Than Ever

    What if the biggest problem in digital advertising isn’t creativity or budget—but waste? In this episode of Leader Generation, Tessa Burg talks with Zach Rosen of Multilocal to unpack the growing shift happening in programmatic media and why brands are rethinking how they buy and optimize advertising. Zach explains how AI-powered curation and sell-side decisioning are helping marketers reduce waste, improve performance and reach audiences in more meaningful moments. The conversation goes into why “cheap CPMs” are no longer the goal, how brands can focus more on outcomes instead of impressions and why better targeting doesn’t have to come at the expense of inclusivity or sustainability. If you’re trying to make sense of AI’s impact on media, personalization and advertising performance, this episode offers practical insights without the hype. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of how smarter media buying can improve ROI, uncover overlooked audiences and help brands adapt to the rapid pace of change happening across marketing today. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Guest: Zach Rosen is SVP, Business Development and Partnerships at Multilocal, where he leads global partnerships and drives the company’s expansion in the US market. Over the past 15 years, he has built his career across ad tech and media, with leadership roles in revenue, strategy, and commercial partnerships. His experience includes launching Index Exchange’s US headquarters and expanding its presence across North America, EMEA, and APAC offices; serving as SVP of Global Supply and Partnerships at Yieldmo; and leading addressability strategy as VP, Head of North American Publishers at LiveRamp.  About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    26 min

  7. Apr 22

    EP167: How To Evolve From Boss To Leader

    AI is changing everything, but not in the way most leaders think. In this episode, Rishad Tobaccowala breaks down how we got here, from the early days of broadcast marketing to today’s fast-moving, AI-powered world. He explains why the current moment is different, what’s actually changing and what still matters more than ever. If you’ve been hearing about AI strategy and wondering where to start, this conversation will shift your perspective. Rishad makes the case that focusing on AI alone is a trap and instead challenges leaders to rethink their entire organization, their role and how they create value. He also shares a powerful framework for moving from control to inspiration and why imagination is becoming one of the most important leadership skills. You’ll walk away with practical ways to think about talent, structure your team and stay competitive in a world that’s evolving faster than ever. Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to keep up, this episode will give you a clearer way forward. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Rishad Tobaccowala: Rishad Tobaccowala was named by BusinessWeek as one of the top business leaders for his pioneering innovation, and TIME magazine dubbed him one of five “Marketing Innovators”. He is one of only 300 people elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame since 1948. Rishad is the author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in The Age of Data which helps people think, feel, and see differently about how to grow their companies, their teams, and themselves to remain relevant in transformational time, and Rethinking Work which helps people thrive amidst the seismic changes that will occur at work due a combination of changing demographics, new mindsets, the rise of distributed work, and the spread of AI.  Rishad Tobaccowala remains a Senior Advisor to the Publicis Groupe where he has spent his entire career, most recently serving as the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategist of the 100,000+ person firm. Prior to those roles Rishad was the Chairman of Digitas and Razorfish. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    34 min

  8. Apr 14

    EP166: Digital Transformation: Why People Matter As Much As Tech

    Technology doesn’t have to be scary or steal jobs. In this episode of Leader Generation, Katya Lobynko shares a fresh perspective on digital transformation—one that puts people at the center. From her “people-priorities-process" approach to getting user feedback in hours instead of months, Katya breaks down practical frameworks for leading change that actually work.    If you’re tired of hearing about AI taking over and want to learn how technology can make work more meaningful, this episode is for you. Katya offers real strategies for building change from both the bottom up and top down, plus her lean startup approach to testing new technologies before making big investments. You’ll walk away with actionable tools for becoming the kind of change leader who creates transformation that people want to be a part of.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Katya Lobynko: Katya Lobynko is a digital transformation leader with 15+ years across FMCG and pharma in EMEA and Asia. Her expertise spans commercial operations, data & analytics, conversational AI, and innovation with emerging technologies. She has held roles from global strategy and operating model evolution to local program leadership at P&G, Sanofi, and Danone, where she currently serves as IT & Data Director. Katya brings structure to complexity and delivers business results through a pragmatic, people-centered approach with a strong focus on stakeholder alignment, business value, and sustainable change. She serves on the global P&G Alumni Network Board. Connect with Katya on LinkedIn. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at Tessa.Burg@ModOp.com.

    27 min
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About

Mod Op’s Leader Generation podcast, hosted by Tessa Burg, inspires growth-minded marketers with ideas and insights from industry experts who use progressive strategies to win at marketing.

Information

  • Creator
    TenloRadio
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    150
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Mod Op All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Leader Generation