Agile Businesses: Kimberly-Clark’s Susan Gambardella On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Fail fast and learn early: Companies that embrace a growth mindset and empower teams to test and learn to continue to innovate are able to adjust and react in an agile way.
As part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Susan Gambardella, President, Kimberly-Clark Professional North America.
Susan Gambardella joined Kimberly-Clark Professional (KCP) as President of North America in February 2020. She is responsible for leading KCP’s largest region, spearheading a transformational growth strategy that accelerates North America’s financial, strategic, and operational results. For more than three decades, Gambardella has been instrumental in building strong teams and delivering significant results. She spent 27 years with The Coca-Cola Company and held leadership positions in marketing, customer and general management, both domestically and globally.
In addition to her role at KCP, Gambardella recently joined the board of Shore Capital and serves on the national board of directors for Girls, Inc. and the University of Connecticut Foundation. Gambardella holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut and executive education certifications from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I started my career at Procter & Gamble in their General Management Training Program. I spent 27 years at The Coca-Cola Company holding various leadership positions, including serving as the Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chairman; Senior Vice President, National Retail Sales; Group Vice President of the Wendy’s Global Account Team; and Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola North America’s Integrated Marketing team. In February 2020, I took a new role, which is my current position as President, Kimberly-Clark Professional North America.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
Starting my career in sales required me to drive thousands of miles covering the Northeast. This included getting up in the early dark hours of the morning to make it to that first sales call, sometimes two to three hours from my home. One morning, having left early, I was sitting across the desk from a known “very tough” buyer and I was focused on making the sale. During my presentation, I looked down and noticed I had a navy shoe and a black shoe on. And to make it worse, they were slightly different shoes and heel heights. I burst out laughing at my mistake and then of course had to tell the buyer why I was laughing. That moment humanized our interaction and we connected as people. We went on to have a very productive relationship, and of course, I made the sale that day. It taught me to laugh at my mistakes, take the learning and move on.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I have been very honored throughout my career to work with leaders who invested in me and made an impact on my career. I have learned from each one of them. My purpose is to do the same for others and be a catalyst for positive change. One leader in particular taught me the importance and impact of great leadership. I have been a student of leadership ever since. He brought outside thinking in from business leaders, historical figures and other industries to use as case studies on leadership. He was impactful because of this emphasis and teaching on leadership, but he also supported me when I had my first child. I was about to reluctantly quit my job to provide the childcare stability I desired for our son after too much childcare disruption. He adjusted my current director position so that I could work part-time. I did that for six months and came back full-time to my first vice president role. We must find flexible work options to support parents as they move through life stages. This support allowed me to stay and flourish with the company for 23 more years!
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
Kimberly-Clark Professional’s purpose is the same as Kimberly-Clark’s, which is to deliver Better Care for a Better World. Part of our strategy, which brings this purpose to life, is to test, explore and create ideas designed to perform and protect. Our latest innovation, the Kimberly-Clark Professional™ ICON™ Collection, elevates the washroom by offering differentiated solutions with market-leading reliability, efficiency and technology.
For end users, we strive to elevate hygiene and make their public washroom experience better, quicker and less frustrating. For the marketer, we are providing an innovative new way to reach customers and expand their targeting efforts. For the facility manager, our innovative dispensers require less maintenance, which is especially important given current labor shortages. Facility managers have also told us our dispensers will help them to attract and retain tenants. Overall, our goal has always been to create thoughtfully designed products that solve our customers’ and end users’ pain points.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell our readers a bit about what your business does? How do you help people?
Kimberly-Clark Professional is a division of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation that is focused on providing B2B solutions to create workplaces that are healthier, safer and more productive. From innovative products to insightful solutions, Kimberly-Clark Professional is constantly in pursuit of the perfect working environment.
Which technological innovation has encroached or disrupted your industry? Can you explain why this has been disruptive?
More than technology innovation, the disruption in our industry has been COVID-19. In 2018, we were focused on strategies for elevating the washroom, but the global pandemic really accelerated our innovation and made us think differently about how to elevate hygiene during this time when we have all been focused on hand washing and following health and safety protocols. Fast dispensing speeds to help reduce restroom wait times and crowds in front of the dispenser, touch-free use and maximum efficiency during a time when businesses have been impacted by labor shortages, were key focus areas for us to respond to customers’ needs.
What did you do to pivot as a result of this disruption?
We launched the Kimberly-Clark Professional ICON Collection, a first-of-its-kind dispenser with technological advancements that offers interchangeable and customizable faceplate options to elevate commercial washrooms with added sophistication and enhanced functionality. While most dispensers are designed around the paper, the Kimberly-Clark Professional ICON dispenser is designed around the servicer, facility manager and end user — offering enhanced style, simple operation, cutting-edge technology and a human-centric experience. This innovative dispenser is built on our newest platform, with state-of-the-art, patented technology that maximizes performance with 99.99 percent jam free1 operation and it delivers more than 150,000 dispenses on a single set of batteries2.
Was there a specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path? If yes, we’d love to hear the story.
We all know handwashing and hygiene have never been more important, and it is time the products we use daily reflect the needs of those who rely on them. In the last year, we’ve heard a lot about the science of hand washing — from how long should you do it and how many stanzas of Happy Birthday you should sing while washing your hands to what motion you should use.
Our team started by truly listening to our customers and users to take a human-centric approach to every aspect of the Kimberly-Clark Professional ICON dispenser’s design and answer the questions — What if hand washing could be more than scientific? What if in those moments when we’re washing our hands, we added a little style to hygiene? What if we combined innovative design, striking branding and clever messaging to this moment of undivided attention?
This led us to our “aha moment” to create the Kimberly-Clark Professional ICON Dispenser. Based on our 150-year history of innovation, this bold idea combines hygiene with modern design, in a cutting-edge product designed around you — that looks as great as it works.
So, how are things going with this new direction?
The response to date has been overwhelmingly positive. Our customers have shared that they view ICON as a game-changing innovation. It addresses the needs of architects, interior designers and facility managers alike — bringing a branding and messaging opportunity to the washroom while making the user experience quicker, less frustrating and visually appealing. This is only the beginning as we continuously strive to design our products around the user and offer a human-centric experience.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this pivot?
Our pivot to human-centric design and combining hygiene innovation with modern design have been game changing for our customers.
Interestingly, our research shows that dependability and functionality are the primary needs customers seek in a dispenser, but aesthetics is a close second. Unsurprisingly, our customers want a dispenser that works and looks great. By partnering with leading designers to understand current design trends, testing these trends with people in a variety of locations, refining our selections and developing the technology to deliver designs our customers value has allowed us to deliver on all of these needs; technologically advanced dispensers, designed around our users that complement any space where they are installed.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during a disruptive period?
During a disruptive time, leaders need to reframe the game and be bold. It is critical to set the vision for the organization, mobilize the team, and then work to take the friction out of the organization. Leaders need to provide access to resources that will empower teams to capitalize on opportunities. Importantly, leaders need to push for change while at the same time demonstrating that they care about their teams, especially during times of transformation and change.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate, and engage their team?
My approach is to think about the things that are unique to my role and then I prioritize this work. One of the most important aspects of my job is culture. Caring is one of our Kimberly-Clark values. Leaders need to push for bold moves while at the same time letting their team know they care about their well-being and their careers. We have established a number of initiatives during the past two years to build our winning culture, including our Caring Conversations program, designed to build trust and further embed inclusion into our culture; Flex that Works to blend time in the office with working remotely to accommodate everyone’s diverse personal and professional obligations; My Voice Council, an employee-led initiative for employee listening and providing a platform to drive improvement within our culture; and our Inclusion and Diversity Council, which ensures that we continue to build an organization that looks and thinks like our customers and consumers around the world, and that our employees share different experiences and have varied backgrounds.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
It is important to not only manage, but to embrace market volatility in order to position a company for growth in the future. Leaders can help guide a company through tough times by continuing to make step change improvements that focus the team on performing while transforming for long-term growth.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make when faced with a disruptive technology? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
When faced with a disruptive technology, companies should keep the following in mind:
- Stay abreast of market shifts and don’t ignore change: Implement market and competitive research and processes to stay ahead of disruptive technologies emerging.
- Embrace disruption: Companies that view disruption as an opportunity to innovate and embrace it can grow and enhance the customer experience. Avoid the pitfall of viewing disruption negatively or thinking it’s not a risk because you have tried a similar approach with limited success.
- Fail fast and learn early: Companies that embrace a growth mindset and empower teams to test and learn to continue to innovate are able to adjust and react in an agile way.
- Scale fast to maximize opportunity: Companies are often unable to scale fast enough. It’s important to have a clear purpose and value proposition to meet customer needs long-term, deep expertise, innovative technology that is human-centric and a strategic business model for sustainable, profitable growth.
In moments of crisis, we often tend to become very internally focused. Constantly pushing the team to continue to leverage more of an external and human-centric mindset while keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do is key to be able to react and move ahead of the market. In 2021, we were able to grow share in every category by doing this.
Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies? Please share a story or an example for each.
Five ways business leaders can pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies include:
- Realize learning is for leaders too. During the pandemic, I realized I needed more knowledge on data, automation, AI and demand generation. I took an executive education class through Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management to build my competency in this area so that I could ask the right questions of the team to support them in our CX and marketing evolution.
- Take some intelligent risks and let your team fail. A leader’s team needs to know that they are creating an environment for their team to learn — that is how leaders can drive true transformation and growth.
- Empower your team. One of the best parts of being a leader is challenging a team with a problem, and then giving them the space and resources to solve it. Quite often the results will far exceed expectations.
- Listen to customers, the industry and field teams. They have the true pulse of what is happening in the industry and market, and if leaders become too internally focused, they will miss when things begin to change.
- Bring people along on the journey. Tell them why, involve them on where the company is going, and engage them in creating solutions as the organization is adapting.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I mentioned before that I am a student of leadership. I have had the opportunity to work with some unbelievable leaders and also learned from the ones who were not. There is a quote by Maya Angelou that says, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I hope that my legacy is not only the results I deliver, but the environment and experience I create for my team and key stakeholders.
How can our readers further follow your work?
For more information about Kimberly-Clark Professional, readers can visit www.kcprofessional.com, learn more about the ICON Collection via https://home.kcprofessional.com/ICON-dispenser-marketplace or follow us on LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Agile Businesses: Kimberly-Clark’s Susan Gambardella On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
