Market research professional with extensive quantitative and qualitative experience in the consumer packaged goods industry.

COMPANY	POSITION HELD	DATES WORKED
Cadbury Schweppes	(Confidential)	2/1988 - 12/2007

SCHOOL	MAJOR	YEAR	DEGREE
Texas Womans University	MBA	2003	Master Degree

Highlights:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE FIDELITY INVESTMENTS, Westlake, TX BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT BLACK BELT (2007-Present) Provide Lean Six Sigma expertise and guidance for brokerage operations. + Deliver growth and profitability goals by streamlining processes for maximum efficiency. + Synthesize analysis into operational insights and practical recommendations. + Promote an organizational mindset that drives process improvement, ownership and accountability. CADBURY SCHWEPPES, Plano, TX PROJECT MANAGER BUSINESS SERVICES (2005-2007) Process improvement champion and customer satisfaction research expert. + Identified the need for a continuous improvement program so that quantitative benefits from process improvements and qualitative benefits from improving customer satisfaction could be realized. Successfully influenced senior management to approve Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as the platform for continuous improvement. + Created an on-line LSS training program. More than 85% of all colleagues completed the course and applied the concepts to their day-to-day jobs. This training program was rolled-out across other business units, including manufacturing. Taught six Green Belts and provided guidance and support on projects. + Led teams in Lean Six Sigma initiatives, achieving benefits of more than $100,000 per project. Established a recognition and rewards program for team members. + Saw the need for on-going customer feedback to aid project selection and help define critical requirements. Designed and implemented an in-house customer satisfaction research program, saving more than $50,000 in vendor fees per year. Identified primary drivers of satisfaction and led teams to deliver improvements (e.g., responsiveness to customers improved significantly after implementing solutions). CUSTOMER AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS MANAGER (2003-2005) Senior expertise on customer and consumer care for the beverages and confectionery businesses. + Hired, trained and led five analysts, including two remote analysts, to successfully mine the consumer relations database to deliver actionable insights across diverse areas of the organization, including marketing, manufacturing, and Legal. + Strengthened long-term loyalty to the company’s brands and maximized competitive advantage by identifying and communicating consumer trends to marketing leaders. + Minimized risks to the business by quickly identifying product and package quality issues and escalating them to manufacturing and Legal for resolution. + Elected by industry peers to the Dallas/Fort Worth Board of Directors for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP). MANAGER CONSUMER UNDERSTANDING AND PLANNING (1993-2003) ASSOCIATE MANAGER MARKET RESEARCH (1988-1993) Consumer authority and brand champion for a number of brands, including Dr Pepper and 7 UP. + Consulted with business partners on needs for market research, designed and implemented strategies to meet objectives, analyzed data from multiple sources, and delivered reports and presentations across functions and levels, including senior management. + Brought voice of the consumer to the forefront of marketing decision-making and brand strategy by effectively translating research findings into implications for the business. + Instrumental in influencing management to bring a brand back to its original roots, which resulted in volume increases after several years of declines. This was accomplished using a compilation of consumer research, syndicated data, and competitive intelligence. + Successfully separated similar brands into distinct identities through positioning, packaging, and advertising research, which resulted in consumers purchasing the brands more often and on more occasions. + Identified through storyboard testing the main marketing message for a brand was not getting through to consumers. As a result, copy was modified before production, which saved millions of dollars, and consumers were not left with wrong impressions about the brand. + Selected and managed vendors and agencies so that projects were delivered on time and on budget and ethical standards were met. + Set-up a process whereby brand and research teams regularly shared study results, best practices, and lessons learned so that potential risks to the business and opportunities for standardization and cost savings were identified and documented. + Coached and mentored three analysts.

Companies I like:

Frito-Lay

P&L responsibilities
Presentation
Technology Solutions
Leadership
Outstanding analytical abilities

• Marketing Research

+ Expert in primary, custom research, including advertising and promotions testing, awareness and usage tracking studies, brand and lifestyle segmentation studies, concept-product tests, copy testing, customer satisfaction research, new product research, packaging graphics research, positioning studies, and sensory/taste tests. + Thorough understanding of syndicated databases, including Nielsen, IRI, and household panel studies. + Proven record for delivering actionable insights and intelligence. + Recognized for excellence in leadership and management. + Strong process improvement background (Lean Six Sigma Black Belt). + Outstanding analytical abilities. + Excellent project management and communication skills. + Business process outsourcing, call center, and transactional processing experience.