In this episode, Andy is joined by longtime retail and sustainability expert, Laura Phillips. Laura spent over 2 decades at Walmart where she served as SVP for Corporate Sustainability as well as SVP of Global Sourcing. Andy and Laura explore the evolution of sustainability, in-store challenges in an omnichannel world, and answer questions from Walton College of Business students. Big thank you to Molly Rapert, Katie Fowler, Arthur Cummisky, Megan Maciulski, and Kendall Wentworth for their questions!

Questions and Topics

00:00 Welcome to the Show

00:50 Introducing Laura Phillips

03:28 How do consumers view sustainability?

6:01 The impact of personal sustainability

8:30 How can supplier collaboration generate innovation?

10:47 How can merchants be customer-centric?

13:54 The power of observation

15:24 How important is the in-store space in an omnichannel world?

18:00 How can packaging impact the in-store effectiveness of a product?

21:17 Questions from Walton College of Business students

22:10 The role of curiosity in career growth

24:30 How can corporations regain consumer trust regarding sustainability?

26:29 What is the most unexpected challenge faced in sustainability?

28:00 How can young adults lead a sustainable lifestyle?

29:07 What is one thing you wish you knew entering the workforce?

30:39 How a positive approach to difficult challenges can lead to success

32:43 What the future looks like for Laura Phillips

Show Links

Laura Phillips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-phillips-5412a52/

Andy Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlmurray/

CCLI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-centric-leadership-initiative-sam-m-walton-college-of-business/

bigQUEST: https://www.bigquest.com

Student Profiles:

Katie Fowler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-fowler-144989248/

Arthur Cummisky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-cummisky/

Megan Maciulski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmaciulski/

Kendall Wentworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-wentworth/