2020 Star Women in Grocery winner Arlee Rosenberg (Q&A)
Rising star
Arlee Rosenberg
Director, E-commerce
Nestlé Canada
How did you get into the grocery/CPG business?
I’ve been working for Nestlé for over a decade, although my roles have evolved over the years. I actually started in sales, working primarily on the Walmart account. I then moved to the marketing group and spent four years working on our coffee business. From there I developed a passion for eCommerce—our eCommerce business was growing rapidly, I was gaining expertise in this area, and felt like I could contribute to it. I’ve been with eCommerce ever since and have really enjoyed it, and I was fortunate enough to be promoted to director earlier this year.
What do you think is your best quality?
I like to think I’m an effective leader. I try to be patient with my team, while also imbuing them with a sense of ownership in the work. After all, we’re all in this together, and without a great team behind you, you won’t get very far.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Work hard but don’t take the work home with you. I think it’s really important to take time to decompress, because if you’re going hard 24/7 you will end up burning out, and that won’t help anyone.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
When I switched to the eCommerce team we were a team of one (me)! We’re now up to eight full-time members. Getting to where we are today has been incredibly challenging. We’ve overcame many obstacles through hard work and the strength of our team and our leadership. I’m proud to say that over the last four years we’ve built up our group into an integral—and rapidly growing—part of the business.
What has been a career highlight or one of your greatest achievements?
This award is definitely one of them! In addition I was recognized as Intrapreneur of the Year at Nestlé in 2018, which was a nice honour.
What do you like most about your job?
I like all aspects of my job. My co-workers at Nestlé are fantastic, and I’ve benefitted tremendously from the mentorship of, among others, my boss Tracey Cooke, vice-president of Marketing and Communication. Another aspect I particularly enjoy is the problem-solving nature of my job—almost every day presents a new challenge, and I Iove the opportunity to think analytically and come up with creative solutions.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Canadian Grocer for this award. I’m truly humbled by it. And thank you for all of your insightful work on behalf of our industry, and particularly women in grocery.
Click here for the full list of 2020 Star Women in Grocery award winners.