Noto Group’s senior partners break down key hiring and leadership trends that they’re seeing for 2026 and beyond. Sara Spirko, John Copeland, and Tami Bumiller discuss common pitfalls, market forces, predictions, and actionable advice for those seeking top talent – and for candidates looking to be hired – in the year ahead.

Highlights from our conversation include: 

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Shaun Belongie is the CEO of New Belgium Brewery. He previously served as VP of Marketing for New Belgium before becoming CMO and then CEO in 2023. Shaun has over 20 years of CPG experience, having managed marketing innovation and brand direction for iconic companies like Nestle Purina and Kraft Foods. He’s helped build and maintain New Belgium’s human-powered business model as the brand grows and expands, all the while stewarding the brewery’s legacy and people-centric culture. Shaun joins Roy to discuss the challenges and opportunities during his journey from CMO to CEO, the differences between working at a large CPG brand versus a smaller, more nimble company, how New Belgium embodies and enacts their foundational values, and much more. 

Highlights from our conversation include: 

• Shaun’s transition from CMO to CEO at New Belgium (3:35)
• Challenges he’s confronted as New Belgium’s CEO (6:14)
• Shaun’s experience serving as New Belgium’s CMO (9:53)
• Shaun’s perspective on building and shaping culture as CEO (12:09)
• New Belgium’s human-powered business model (14:55)
• Maintaining authentic values throughout periods of growth (16:16)
• How his son’s health crisis inspired him to think differently about life and leadership (18:35)
• Leadership lessons that carried over from Shaun’s Kraft and Purina days (21:11)
• How changes in the industry are affecting Shaun’s approach to hiring (23:08)
• Leadership qualities that Shaun seeks in his senior executive team (25:01)
• How technology fits into his strategic plan (25:48)
• Guidance he’d offer to somebody early in their career (28:18)
• What Shaun’s most excited about in the future (30:13)

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David Stever is the former CEO and CMO of beloved ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s. David started with the company back in the early 80’s, working as a tour guide at their factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Over time, David ascended within Ben & Jerry’s, helping to grow the then start-up into an iconic, multinational corporation. Over the course of his decades-long career there, David led marketing initiatives, drove massive brand growth, expanded global market share, and helped facilitate reinvention and product innovation, all while keeping Ben & Jerry’s social mission front and center. He joins Roy to discuss his journey from tour guide to C-Suite, the many learnings he took from founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the profound effect of pursuing a triple bottom line, and much more.        

Highlights from our conversation include: 

• David’s initial interest in the ice cream industry and how it evolved into his career (1:32)
• Working with Ben and Jerry in the early days (3:50)
• Leadership lessons learned through periods of massive growth and scaling (6:13)
• David’s strengths and keys to success as Ben & Jerry’s CMO (8:48)
• What surprised him the most when he transitioned from CMO to CEO (13:48)
• What it means to do “business as unusual” (15:29)
• The influence of Ben & Jerry’s blend of activism and commerce on his leadership (18:12)
• How David defines Ben & Jerry’s unique culture and how he helped sustain it through the years and through acquisition (20:26)
• Successful hiring throughout Ben & Jerry’s different phases (22:48)
• Qualities David sought in his top leadership team (27:40)
• What he believes is often overlooked when assessing prospective talent (28:47)
• David’s next chapter and what he’s most excited about in looking ahead (31:00)

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Jason Bronstad is the CEO of Malk Organics, a clean-label, plant-based milk and creamer brand. Jason began his career in the food and beverage industry at Sara Lee, serving across several managerial and directorial positions between 2004 and 2010. He then went on to become VP of Sales at Mike’s Hard Lemonade and then the President of Mighty Swell Cocktail Company before joining purpose-led start up, Malk Organics, in 2020. He joins Roy to discuss the ins and outs of shaping culture, values-driven hiring, evaluating talent, learning to keep things simple, and much more. 

Highlights from our conversation include:

• Core beliefs and values that comprise Jason’s leadership playbook (3:55)
• Connection to mission (6:12)
• Hiring lessons learned during periods of brand growth and development (8:20)
• Key characteristics of high-performing leaders (11:40)
• Important traits Jason seeks in his direct reports (14:15)
• Evaluating cultural fit in prospective talent (15:50)
• The parts of Malk’s culture that make Jason most proud (18:08)
• Jason’s definition of success and how it’s evolved over the course of his career (20:22)
• His advice for the next generation of CPG leaders (21:10)

Christiana Smith Shi is a seasoned leader in global, multichannel retail, co-author of national, best-selling book Career Forward: Strategies From Women Who’ve Made It, founder and principal at Lovejoy Advisors, LLC., and an experienced corporate director on multiple Fortune 100 boards. Christiana made an early career pivot from finance to join McKinsey & Company, where she ultimately served as Senior Partner. After 25 years in management consulting, Christiana became the President of Direct-to-Consumer at Nike. In 2016, she retired from Nike and founded Lovejoy Advisors to help provide guidance around digital transformation for consumer and retail businesses. She joins Roy to share insights into navigating a rewarding career, talent lessons from McKinsey and Nike, and much more. 

Highlights from our conversation include:

• The timely issue that prompted her to write a book (3:58)
• Why Christiana puts career first, job second (9:18)
• How to take a strategic long view with your career (10:55)
• Advice for building “professional equity” (15:27)
• What it means to “think like an investor” when it comes to your career (16:58)
• Christiana’s core leadership philosophy (22:20)
• Her perspective on the value of leadership coaching (25:38)
• The role of feedback as a leader (26:47)
• Lessons learned about hiring and talent and the major differences between hiring at McKinsey and Nike (30:25)
• How Christiana worked to integrate her team into the culture of Nike (35:35)
• Identifying strengths and opportunities of a team (37:20)
• How to avoid what she calls "benevolent stagnation” (42:09)
• How Christiana has applied her career experience and strategies to her work on boards (45:19)
• Advice for landing board roles (46:45)
• The ultimate payoff of a rewarding career and what Christiana is thinking about for the future (55:05)

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Fabrizio Gamberini is a seasoned executive with nearly three decades of strategic leadership expertise and global brand management across a wide variety of business sectors. He currently serves as Vibram Corporation’s President and Global Chief Brand Officer. Prior to his time at Vibram, Fabrizio led large-scale marketing and retail management efforts for major brands like HP and Nike. He also led brand redevelopment, evolution, and acquisition for eyewear companies like Marcolin and Geox before landing at Vibram. Fabrizio joins Roy to discuss how his foundational leadership skills were honed at HP, the importance of getting out from behind the desk to engage the consumer, how truth and trust are key to effective teambuilding, and much more. 

Highlights from our conversation include:

• Core leadership lessons learned in his early career (3:19)
• Key values and beliefs instilled during Fabrizio’s tenure at Nike (6:05)
• Navigating and leading through cycles of massive consumer change (10:07)
• The role that talent has played across his many executive positions (11:21)
• The efficacy of leadership coaching in developing teams (17:06)
• Attracting mission and purpose-aligned candidates (19:01)
• Hiring in large companies vs. smaller, scrappier organizations (22:47)

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Jennifer Ingraffea is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of experience in the retail, apparel, product merchandising, and management sectors. In July 2025, Jennifer became the CEO of Pendleton Woolen Mills; a family-owned business since its founding in the 1860s. Before joining Pendleton, she served as Chief Product & Merchandising Officer at The North Face, prior to which, she worked at Nike in a number of high-level executive leadership roles. Jennifer and Roy discuss her new role and dig into essential leadership skills like curiosity, stewardship, and much more.

Highlights from our conversation include:

• Core beliefs, values, and principles in Jenn’s leadership playbook (2:53)
• Leading through cycles of massive consumer and retail evolution (5:39)
• Identifying areas of a business that are in need of clarification and simplification (7:36)
• Aligning a team towards a long term vision (11:01)
• Lessons learned around hiring and team building at major brands (14:58)
• How Jenn developed her hiring process and philosophy (17:07)
• What a great leader looks like to Jenn (18:36)
• Valuable traits that Jenn identifies when hiring direct reports (22:58)

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Kiernan Laughlin is the General Manager and co-creator of Deep Indian Kitchen, a growing CPG brand whose mission is to bring a modern, high-quality Indian food experience to consumers worldwide. Kiernan previously held senior brand management roles at large CPG companies like Johnson & Johnson and Unilever, and he spent his early career in marketing, promotions, and partnership leadership at Gorton’s Seafood.

Highlights from our conversation include:

• Core business and leadership lessons from Kiernan’s career in multi-stage CPG (1:26)
• Useful skills Kiernan picked up outside of work that have percolated into his leadership style (5:27)
• Going from a structured corporate environment to leading an emerging brand (8:01)
• The challenges and opportunities of building a team through rebranding (11:22)
• Elements that make a successful relationship between CEO and Founder (19:36)
• Keeping his team aligned and agile as the company evolves (21:48)
• Hiring for qualities that go beyond the resume (22:49)
• How Deep connects their mission to action through their foundation (27:08)
• Advice for the next generation of CPG leaders (30:13)

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Executive leader and board member Wilma Wallace joins Roy to discuss her experience recruiting and mentoring leadership teams at Gap and REI during her extensive career at both legacy brands. After spending over 20 years in senior roles at Gap, Wilma served as Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer, as well as Chief Legal Officer at REI. In 2024, she retired to focus on impacting change, particularly from an equity, access, and justice perspective, on several boards. Her work centers social impact, environmental justice, and human rights in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Wilma and Roy discuss accounting for and addressing changing levels of trust across organizations, internal succession planning versus seeking external candidates, the link between alignment of purpose and successful performance in leadership teams, and much more.     

Highlights from our conversation include:

• How Wilma evaluates candidates’ leadership abilities (4:18)
• Creating an environment that fosters high potential future leaders (6:48)
• Recruiting external talent (8:26)
• Leadership assessment practices at Gap & REI (11:08)
• Ensuring that an organization’s culture stays dynamic and resilient (14:01)
• Leading and hiring through periods of growth and change (17:35)
• Ways in which leaders should be vetting culture and values before taking on new leadership roles (20:30)
• What gives Wilma hope about the next generation of leaders (23:00)

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Talent acquisition expert Heather Flynn joins Roy to discuss the ins and outs of successful recruitment strategy. Heather recently served as the SVP of Talent Acquisition for Aritzia, prior to which she led hiring efforts for other major brands like Nike and ASML. Roy and Heather dig into the essential role of talent strategy, the importance of strong employment branding and candidate engagement, the emerging application of AI in recruiting, and much more.

Highlights from our conversation include:

• How holistic talent strategy informs a successful business strategy (5:52)
• Current trends, challenges, and opportunities facing top talent acquisition leaders (7:54)
• Key elements of a successful talent acquisition strategy (9:58)
• How Heather assesses an organization’s hiring bar (13:45)
• Ways that hiring leaders can step up their game (16:11)
• Heather’s approach to helping hiring teams make the best candidate decisions (17:45)
• What growing consumer brands look for in a leader and how it’s evolved recently (20:07)
• How she approached talent strategy at Aritzia (22:14)

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