Sustainable Growth with Chris Perry of Firstmovr

Join Keith Anderson as he talks to an old friend, Chris Perry, CEO of Firstmovr. He is not only a trusted advisor to the industry, but he's been in house at world class brands like Reckitt, WellPet, and Kellogg's. Chris tells us about his perspective about some of the challenges that the industry that wants to make it a priority faces in reaching out and persuading colleagues in conventional commercial roles.


He also shares an interesting point of view on the impact of emerging brands and insurgents and how innovation can play a role in accelerating industry shifts, and talks about the importance of communication. The conversation closes with us thinking a little bit differently about strategy as it relates to sustainability and retail and CPG.

Learn more about Chris Perry:

• Link to Firstmovr’s website
• Link to Chris’ Perry’s LinkedIn

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TRANSCRIPT BELOW:

DCC_Ep20_Chris Perry_YT

Keith Anderson: Welcome to Decarbonizing Commerce, where we explore what's new, interesting, and actionable at the intersection of climate innovation and commerce. I'm your host, Keith Anderson, and together we'll meet entrepreneurs and innovators reinventing retail, e-commerce, and consumer products through the lenses of low carbon and commercial viability.

Thanks for listening. This is the Decarbonizing Commerce Podcast. I am your host, Keith Anderson. This week's episode features an old friend, Chris Perry, who is the CEO of a training and education company called Firstmovr. And I've known Chris a long time, in fact, we even worked at a few of the same places, I guess one of the same places, but in contrast to me, he's got experience not only as a trusted advisor to the industry, but he's been in house at world class brands like Reckitt Benckiser, now just Reckitt, wellPet, and Kellogg's. And I wanted Chris to join me to tell us a bit about his perspective as a non specialist in sustainability about some of the challenges and headwinds that the side of the industry that wants to make it a priority faces in reaching out and persuading colleagues in conventional commercial roles.

He has a really interesting point of view on the impact of emerging brands and insurgents and how innovation can play a role in accelerating industry shifts. He's got a great mind for branding and we talked a lot about the importance of communication, and we sort of closed out by thinking a little bit differently about strategy as it relates to sustainability and retail and CPG.

So, it was great to catch up with Chris and get his input, and I'm eager for you to meet and hear from him also. So, let's meet Chris Perry of Firstmovr.

Chris, good to see you. Welcome to the Decarbonizing Commerce Podcast.

Chris Perry: Keith, thank you so much for having me.

Keith Anderson: Yeah, we've, we've known each other for years and years, sort of crossed paths directly and indirectly, but not everybody knows you as well as I do. So to kick it off, why don't you tell folks listening a bit about your background in CPG and what you're doing now at Firstmovr?

Chris Perry: You bet. So it, my, my career actually started in brand management at Reckitt long ago, it seems, if you, if we take e-commerce years into consideration, but back in 2010 and 11, there were these opportunities, projects as if they were going to end one day to get into e-commerce in the early days of CPG.

And, like a true, true. Change agent or nerd, as some people would probably call me, I volunteered as tribute into that and really found my home in trying to drive change for what, and for some categories is still a small part of the business, but the majority of growth and the majority of the influence sales and impact on the market.

And then took my, my career from Reckitt to, you know, helping build the team there and center of excellence there for several years to Wellness Pet Company. Then actually ended up going to Kellogg's and then ended up essentially, and where Keith and I, you know, you and I know each other so well is I had to fill your unusually large shoes, at what was originally Planet Retail Net Group or Planet Retail RNG.

And then became Edge by Essential and now is Flywheel and now acquired by Omnicom. So there's like, you know, the artist formerly known as going on and on and on. But, a long line of wonderful people that have led change even, even before I started leading change. And so, and then I got to spend some time leading executive education at Edge by Essential, where I found my passion for that.

And then during the pandemic, there was this huge opportunity for both virtual education for the, for the broader community, but also custom trainings and certifications and advisory for companies. And so one of my former colleagues, Oscar Kaszubski, who actually hired me at Kellogg's, was consulting at the time.

I saw an opportunity for the education. We paired up, and launched Firstmovr and now are what we like to call, you know, your omni partner for education and change management. So we do everything from public events that are free for leaders, you know, virtual events that are free for leaders to join any time on various strategies and key retailers to, again, custom programs for CPGs, agencies, and retailer audiences.

And a lot of advisory, temp services, project execution, really just trying to plug into centers of excellence or become the center of excellence for smaller teams that may not have that head count. So, and it's been a real ride for now four years and we're just excited about the next areas of change, including sustainability, which is a fun topic, but it's an imperative topic.

And one I'm, I'm excited that you're taking charge of as a true change agent here.

Keith Anderson: Well, Chris, of course, can't refer to the group he was part of as the RB mafia as I can, and it's a metaphor. It was all above board. But Chris was part of a team of folks who, you know, when he says they were in the early days of CPG commerce, I think that Reckitt team was probably the first organized team, you know, professionalizing the work of doing business with online grocers and selling CPG online. And basically everybody that I ever met from that cohort has gone on to do pretty interesting stuff. And Oscar was actually a guest on the last podcast that I hosted. And so, I'm glad that you're beating him to the punch this time.

Chris Perry: Hey, no, I, well, like I said, we nerds come from a long line of nerds. There's a legacy of nerdity, but, but what, what it's, it's a, it's a fun role to play because it's, it's an opportunity to truly challenge the status quo, get out ahead. It doesn't mean you have all the right answers, but you're not afraid to fail many, many times and then hopefully find the successful path forward that then everybody else can leverage.

And whether they remember you or not is not the point. It's that you felt good knowing you made that impact along the way.

Keith Anderson: Well said. So, you know, when you and I were, comparing notes about how to approach the conversation, I think we both see the commonality of a force of change in the industry that sort of starts small, but has outsized impact and implications. And, you know, I'm sure we'll spend a little time on that, but one thing that I thought was interesting about your thinking was you sort of started with the challenges and the headwinds.

And so maybe we can start the conversation there because I definitely find a lot of the conventional wisdom, where there is any, you know, when I, when I tell people what I'm working on or tell them what I'm covering, you know, a lot of people either sort of are shocked that anyone is focused on it, or sort of have some pity.

So, you know, tell me in your view, you know, why is the headwind and the challenge of working in this area top of mind?

Chris Perry: So, and I'll, and I'll disclaim it by all means, cause I know we have fans of, and, you know, change agents for sustainability across the board coming from different angles, but I do believe sustainability is a, not only an amazing opportunity, but also an imperative imperative and the right thing to do, right for mother earth or whatever, however, however, however much of a tree hugger you want to articulate yourself to be,

sustainability is very, very important. That being said, though, knowing that we have a lot of leadership, you know, of all levels trying to decide when and where and whether to lean into sustainability, I think sometimes it's helpful to talk about the challenges and the headwinds first, because that's what really motivates most people to change. Unfortunately, here therelots of opportunities in this world. E-commerce was an opportunity, and when framed th