Expertise you can lean on.
Marise Kumar, founder of C2B Strategies, advises companies on ways to profitably grow their business by keeping the customer at the center of their plans. Her approach of using customer insights across the purchase journey enables cross-functional development of go-to-market plans by helping leadership teams understand the role their individual functions play to deliver value to the customer.
Marise Kumar
Founder of C2B Strategies
Marise Kumar, founder of C2B Strategies, brings more than 30 years of diverse strategic management and marketing experience to the profitable growth of U.S.-based and global organizations.
Having been an operator herself, she develops strategies that flow from the customer experience to the business model, strategies the organization can engage with and execute.
Her diverse career covers general management, marketing and product development in emerging and developed markets, across packaged goods and durables, manufacturing and retail organizations.
She worked with Best Buy as Chief Customer Experience Officer & CMO International Division and Lowe’s Companies as SVP Strategy & Modeling for U.S. Home Improvement business. Prior to retail, she worked for over 13 years with Whirlpool where she ran Strategic Planning for the North America Region for four years, as well as managed businesses in North America. Previous to that she spent over 10 years with Colgate Palmolive launching brands in India and Malaysia.
Over the last five years, she has pivoted and used this expertise for organizations that approached her for help with strategy development and value propositions, plus initiatives they can pursue for profitable growth The asks were varied based on the specific question on the client’s mind, from support crafting a proposal to securing funding, identifying value propositions to open new streams of revenue, to creating frameworks which put the customer in the center of understanding underlying consumer behavior. Her goal, always, is to drive a business model which consistently provides learning the organization can use to drive results.
Based in Charlotte, NC, Marise enjoys tennis, and staying in touch with family & friends she studied and worked with along the way. She is closely associated with National Association of Women Business Owners where she served as President of the Charlotte Chapter, the Business Advisory Committee for the City of Charlotte, and has recently joined the Advisory Board for Innovate Charlotte.
Experience working with existing teams to deliver extraordinary results.
She enjoys getting to know the people behind the numbers and believes great ideas come from any level or function. By taking time with front-line workers and associates who understand what makes a moment of truth important, she helps organizations map their customer journey and adjust their offering to increase customer flow. Whether directly managing a business or influencing teams as an external advisor, she consistently paints a clear picture of the customer that unleashes creative ideas and initiatives that deliver results.
Inclusive approach of
aligning
leadership teams around strategy.
This unique expertise has been built over 30 years of diverse experiences in global consumer companies and big box retail, successfully working with small teams to enter new markets, revitalize brands and create strategies teams can relate to and bring to life. After understanding the company purpose and culture, the strategy work starts by reviewing multiple sources of customer and commercial data and getting out into the market to meet and observe customers, walk the value chain, talk with employees and create context for the documented information already available. The strategy is ready to execute when the organization is aligned around the plan, leadership has agreed to resource initiatives and specific measures are in place to track progress and trigger adjustments along the way.
Proven track record building businesses by leading with the customer.
Whether doubling the size of the Body Care category for Colgate Palmolive in Malaysia, launching the Whirlpool brand in India, revitalizing Best Buy in Mexico or creating a customer-centric strategic plan for Lowe’s Companies’ U.S. Home Improvement business, Marise has worked with business teams and built paths to profitable growth that align the purpose and vision of the organization with its plans.
Takes accountability and brings humor to tough as well as everyday situations.
Major change requires tenacity and those who have worked with Marise appreciate the easy way she integrates into a business situation, developing ways of working that engage the team in the effort.
By ensuring questions are encouraged, assumptions challenged, and the tough conversations had, the strategy steps off paper and shows up in everyday discussions and plans.
Specific Corporate Experience:
General Management Experience:
A testimony from Bob Gfeller
Former EVP, Lowe's Companies
“I have known and worked with Marise for over a decade, when she was both a business line leader at Whirlpool and the head of U.S. strategy for Lowe’s Home Improvement. In fact, I hired Marise into the new customer experience team at Lowe’s as our strategy SVP. Marise has very wide bandwidth and is able to synthesize reams of information into a finite, simplified, and well- defined strategy roadmap. She goes about her work with deep passion and high intensity which at times can put her in the cross hairs with other executive leaders. But, she takes a methodical and active approach to listen and to align both people and direction. One of her best assets is her ability to take a punch and come back with a sense of humor and respectful retort. Lastly, high intellect and endless energy are her trademark.”