CMO Spotlight | Stacey Tank - The HEINEKEN Company
The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high-performing marketing leaders.
Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Stacey Tank, the Chief Transformation and Global Affairs Officer of The HEINEKEN Company, to share her purpose, what drives her success, and how she integrates her love for performance art into her everyday work.
Watch + Read the recap below
Q1 | Tell us about your career path.
Tank started her career at General Electric Company (GE) where she spent 10 years. She traveled and moved all over the world to countries like Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Germany, England, and France holding various roles in finance, marketing, and communications. Tank described this time as a formative “training ground the first 10 years.” After her time at GE, she worked with The HEINEKEN Company, then was recruited to work for The Home Depot where she transformed some of their home service businesses from losses to profits. Eventually she moved back to The HEINEKEN Company where she is currently working as the Chief Transformation and Global Affairs Officer.
Q2 | What is your superpower?
“My purpose is to ignite the worthy fight and blow your hair back. When the house is on fire and everyone’s running out of the house, I’m running into the house.”
Tank thrives under pressure and lives for solving challenging problems. “I like to be in that zone where there's a giant problem and there's absolutely no answer…the clock is ticking. I like the challenge of it and pushing myself to see whether we can really make lemonade out of lemons [while] keeping our wits about us.”
Q3 | What are some of your challenges?
With bars and restaurants being closed, the pandemic has had a direct impact on The HEINEKEN Company, but Tank sees a more pressing issue developing within society. “From an engagement perspective and from even a business lens, I really worry about [our] polarized society. We're getting pretty quick to point our fingers at other people and not listen to try to find shared ground.” Despite this challenge, she is optimistic that if individuals found the commonalities between one another, we could have a harmonious society. “I still believe as humans we have a lot more that unites us than divides us…and we need to put the energy there.”
Q4 | What advice would you give to other marketers?
“Have fun - it’s not a crime. Enjoy it.”
Tank values the notion of working hard and playing hard. She explained the importance of cultivating a comfortable environment for others to be in. “Be kind and be curious. If you have those things, you are going to thrive in life, and people are going to want to be in your ecosystem.”
For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Stacey Tank, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.
Watch the full interview to the right.
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