Loretta Franks, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Kellanova, started her career at Kellogg’s seventeen years ago. Thanks to a recent spinoff, she now works at a company with a 118 year legacy that is also a start-up. In this conversation, recorded live on June 4th, 2024 at Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona, Loretta shares the experience of managing IT through the separation of Kellonova from WK Kellogg Co as well as how she successfully leads a data and analytics organization across 180 countries and an extensive array of product categories.

In spinning off Kellanova, Loretta oversaw the transition of 300 different IT systems, the creation of 7K+ individual user IDs, and did so while maintaining the supportive and fun culture that kept her at the company for so many years. The success of these transitions required that all bets were off as far as silos “We had a job to do and that was to make sure that we continued to supply our customers, continued to delight our consumers, and continued to keep running the business.”

Despite the 118 year legacy of the Kellogg’s brand, Kellanova is facing the future with a startup mentality and this perspective shift also triggered a cultural shift. The company added courage to its key values of accountability and integrity and they shaped their strategy in order to differentiate, drive and deliver. When it comes to data and analytics in particular, Loretta focuses on the business need or problem and backs their processes, tools, and goals into those needs. 

Every day requires thoughtful prioritization to meet the needs of so many brands across so many markets. Loretta balances speed, risk and value in order to help her team address organizational needs and assess new opportunities successfully. She emphasizes the need for strong partnerships to succeed in a cross-functional role.

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on what you are trying to achieve and finding the right solution for it
• In a time of change, transparency and teamwork are the keys to success
• Look after your talent and ensure they have a career path

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