Hello and welcome to Women in Retail Talks, the podcast where C-suite executive women in the retail space share their stories of professional growth leadership development, personal journeys and more.
I'm Alyssa Campanelli, the co-founder of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle, which is a membership-based community of executive women at leading retailers and brands.
And I'm excited to be here today live from the Commerce Next Growth Show in New York City with Alyssa Callahan, the CMO US for BP.
Today we'll be discussing Alyssa's leadership style and how it has evolved.
How she's helping BP shift the perception from a traditional fuel company to a modern retail brand, what she looks for when building high-performing teams and more.
Welcome, Alyssa.
Hi, Alyssa.
Thanks for having me.
It's great to be here.
So excited that you're here, you're joined us on this hot day.
So you've led marketing across diverse industries.
You were in beauty, you were in travel, and now you're in energy.
How has your leadership style evolved to meet the unique demands of each sector?
That's a great question.
And I think, when I reflect back on my leadership style, I would say my leadership style has certainly evolved as I've had more experience, but it hasn't changed as much.
I find myself to be pretty industry agnostic because I tend to bring the same approach to leading and developing strong teams, understanding customer needs.
And I adapt that to the business and industry that I'm in.
So I think, based on the company and the role, and when I look back on my career, most of my roles have been new roles.
So I've had the really privilege to come in where I'm asked to build something, to create something new or to drive a new level of innovation in the company.
So that has set me up for that style of leadership and that's something I've found consistent across industries, even if I'm selling different products or speaking to different customers through marketing.
That's super interesting.
So the role that you're in now as CMO of US is a new role that you kind of came in.
This is a new role, this is, yes.
So we've been through an integration journey At BP.
I think we're well known for being a fuel company.
BP and Amoco, we sell fuel.
We're also an integrated energy company, an oil and gas company.
And over the last eight years we've been acquiring convenience brands and stepping into really being a strong convenience company for that on-the-go convenience offer that goes with the fuel offer.
And now we're really expanding into a digital technology. company.
So my role brings together marketers across multiple brands and teams into one enterprise level marketing team for BP.
Yeah, we did kind of talk about this, I think, on our prep call.
And let's dive into that a little bit.
So I know that you're kind of tasked, I guess, with helping shift the perception from a traditional fuel company to a modern retail brand.
Can you talk a little bit about why you're doing this maybe and how?
Yeah, absolutely.
And I think I'm not leading the shift.
I'm spreading the word.
So I think we all, when we think about BP, we're a well-known gas company.
We have strong brand recognition and brand affinity for the Green and the Kilios.
Most people have been to a BP gas station.
And we're actually doing a lot behind the scenes to develop what our digital offer looks like for our customers, what our really enterprise offer looks like for our dealers and how they can take more advantage of the offers that we have across convenience as well as EV charging.
So we're doing a lot of this work.
I just want to make sure that when people see BP and they see me at a conference like this, like the conference next growth show, even though we're not in e-commerce or direct to consumer, we are really doing some incredibly innovative and exciting things when it comes to digital.
Can you talk about some of them?
Yeah, absolutely.
So I think we have looked across our network and right now we're in the process of consolidating all of our customer loyalty programs into one enterprise loyalty program.
And that will serve across our convenience brands, which are AMPM on the West Coast, Thorntons and Travel Centers of America in the Midwest, and then BP and Amoco, primarily on the East Coast and Midwest.
So each of those brands, when acquired by BP, came with their own customer database and customer loyalty offer.
So, now that we've brought it all together, what we're really building for our customers is this ecosystem where they can connect with all of our brands in one mobile app.
Oh, wow.
And we're not only bringing that together from a loyalty program perspective, but also just from an ease of use perspective and to really create a great user experience.
So in our new mobile app, you can start the pump from your phone.
You can fuel contactless.
We're working on features like scan and go for convenience.
So we're really trying to build the most seamless digital experience at what is traditionally a brick and mortar fuel location.
And we named our new program Earnify.
So it's a new name, a new brand that we're bringing to market, that will be across all of our locations, about 8000 of them nationwide over the next year.
Wow, that is super interesting.
I think that's great.
So, given that I'm sure there's a lot of and you mentioned this a little bit earlier too I'm sure there's a lot of changes going on.
So can you talk a little bit about how you're leading your teams sort of through this transformation?
And I know that you're also dealing with a lot of other sort of teams as part of that.
So can you walk us through that?
Yes, absolutely.
I think transformation means different things to everyone.
So I think where I start is transformation is exciting to me.
I like change, I like innovative things and I like to be slightly uncomfortable if I'm playing with new toys.
And I think the first thing as a leader you need to realize is not everyone on your team views transformation and change in that way.
Change can be overwhelming to some folks.
I think, as we move into this new era of marketing, with all of the AI capabilities that are coming, Really a mix of how people are responding and feeling about what this means for them, what they need to learn or how this may be different than they've worked in the past.
So really what I try to focus on during transformation with my team is making sure everyone feels like they have a clear visibility to where we're going and what that change would mean for them.
And during transformation.
That can be challenging as a leader because we have lots of pilots and different programs going on at once.
We're testing different things.
The roadmap may shift a little bit.
So I work really hard to be in every conversation I can.
So I'm always very clear on the vision and where we are.
And then I communicate that back to my team in really tangible ways.
So they know exactly where we are during that transformation, what it means for them and what they're supposed to be working on day to day.
So I just spend a lot more time over communicating what that change means, so that people don't overthink that or try to make their own assumptions on what that means for them.
I come across very clearly with what that means.
That's super important.
And I'm sure it's challenging because things change, you know, and so in order to keep folks, you know, to keep folks feeling secure and happy and moving forward, you just kind of have to keep telling them about those changes.
So yeah, communication is key.
Yeah.
And you must have a great team in order for you to kind of go through this.
So what do you look for when building high performing teams?
Is there anything that you look for in particular?
I know you're dealing in marketing, so you're dealing with creativity, and you're also dealing with math and science and data driven executions.
So tell us a little bit about that.
I would say one thing I feel very strongly about is I always hire empathetic leaders.
I start with empathy.
At BP, our core values are around caring for others, working safely, as well as play to win.
So we ask all of those to come together.
If you're a leader at BP but I will always hire an empathetic leader with a high level of competency
And if needed to, I will train that competency.
I can teach you hard skills and soft skills on the job, but I need you to bring empathy as part of who you are to be on my team, because I think that's so important to have leaders like that, to make everyone on the team feel part of the mission and happy to come to work every day.
Yeah, that's great.
Is there any way you could tell about someone's empathetic, or is there anything that you think about when you're hiring people or with questions that you might ask, or something like that?
Yeah, I think, I mean, I usually will ask people, you know, why do you love marketing?
Why?
Why marketing?
And I think for me and it's not always about my answer, but for me, I love marketing because I have a love for people.
And my desire to do great marketing comes from wanting to create great experiences for people everywhere, and create great experiences for people on my team.
So I think if you're really purpose-driven in why you want to be in marketing.
And that comes from a customer service background or a background working with people, a retail background,
I tend to find those people have a high level of just awareness and the desire to support other people on their journey as well.
Yeah.
Sometimes the simple questions are the ones that you get the best.
Yeah.
Tell me the story of you.
Yeah.
What comes out.
Right.
I'm going to jump around a little bit.
So you're a mentor.
Mentorship is a very important part of our women in retail.
We have a lot of folks maybe we don't have a formalized mentorship program but we have a lot of women that are generally our mentors to others.
So what advice can you give to the next generation about navigating change and leading with purpose, like you just said to some of the folks that you mentor?
I think, navigating through change to my mentees, it's really about what's within your circle of control and what's not.
So one thing I often check in with someone I'm mentoring is I ask kind of, how's your mental cup?
And that I consider kind of the cup fills up as you go through the day or it can get full as you go through life.
And is your cup overflowing?
And once your mental cup's overflowing, we all have a certain amount of capacity in our head every day that we can use for work.
And then there's some for life and home.
But if your cup is overflowing all the time, you're not able to focus and do your best work.
And there's factors within that you can't control and can't control.
A tight deadline or a change in a project at work you can't control, but how you're really staying focused and staying true to yourself and not worrying about unnecessary things or feeling overthinking, thinking like that.
How do we take that out of your cuff?
And I think that's something that I try to really teach, because it's important as a leader that you can show up and have the capacity and be able to put things that aren't as important to the side.
So it's almost like get out of your own head.
Yes, yes.
The other thing I'll say, I encourage them to read.
I think, are you reading books?
Are you practicing public speaking?
I think those are skills that go a long way.
And if you want to be a leader, you have to be able to get up and speak and express yourself, and sometimes speak on the spot and unprepared.
So you should be practicing that from the very beginning of your career, when leadership is an aspiration for you.
Are there any books that you recommend?
I love, I read a lot of workbooks primarily.
I'd say any book by Amy Edmondson.
I've read Simon Sinek's I've read, I love autobiographies, so athlete autobiography.
Yeah, definitely.
Those are great motivational.
And then what about your own mentors or role models?
Do you have any that you look up to or that have been important in your career?
I do, and probably too many to name, because I have been blessed with incredible leaders through my career.
I think, when I look back, I've had great line managers, leaders and senior leaders within my organizations.
And I consider that just luck, pure luck that I've had the privilege to be in those circumstances.
I think people who get up and speak from the heart and are very passionate and connected to the vision and why they're here are those that I resonate with the most.
I think the leaders that can bring in that storytelling and that kind of magic, but also that very high level of intelligence and competency where you can learn something from them as well.
So I've had several of those across my career, and I've also had several mentors.
I think I've tried to look for mentors through different stages of my career going through pregnancy at work, having children, as young children grow up.
I try to find someone that can help me with that life stage from an outside of work standpoint as well.
And I've also had effective coaches that I've worked with too.
So I'd say it's Even if you have the privilege of being surrounded by strong leaders and strong women, it's your responsibility to connect with them, to ask for time, and to soak up as much of their knowledge as you can like a sponge.
It's not enough just to observe them.
You should be taking initiative to get as much of their time as you can.
Right, just have a quick 15 minute coffee.
Just go for it.
Okay, I'm just going to wrap it up.
And we always ask our folks that are on our podcast this type of question.
So if you could go back and give your early leader self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I think I have two.
And one would be don't take things personally at work.
Took me a while to separate taking things personally from taking feedback personally at work constructively.
And I think it's hard when you're really passionate about what you do and you love your work, and work really defines part of who you are in your life, because there's a lot of overlap when you're doing something that you love.
But to be able to not take anything personally has been the most freeing thing that I've done as I've grown in my leadership career.
So the sooner you can do that and really have that hard conversation with yourself and stop taking things personally, the stronger you'll be.
And I think secondly, my other advice I would give myself is just to get really comfortable with there not being a finish line.
And I think something I've learned is that you have to continually succeed and drive results and reinvent yourself.
There's always going to be change.
You're never done.
So I think you don't want to be in a place in your career where you're like I just worked so hard on this project and now I want to get promoted.
No, you're never done.
You have to work hard every single day and you have to keep learning and growing, and there will always be change.
And there's no finish line.
Every you have to bring 100 percent every day to succeed.
So just getting comfortable with that young because there's a long journey ahead of you.
But every step will be great.
Well, that is amazing.
Well, this has been such a great conversation, Alyssa.
I feel like I learned so much from talking to you.
Thank you so much for joining us here at the Commerce Next Growth Show.
And hopefully we can connect in the future.
That sounds great.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for listening.
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