Les Hamilton: 5 Moves Every CPG Brand Must Make Today

Are you a CPG brand struggling to scale without breaking the bank on senior talent? In this episode of The Digital Transformist, host Michael LaVista sits down with Les Hamilton, founder and CEO of CPG Integrated, to reveal the strategic moves CPG brands should make today to break through growth barriers. You'll discover why most growing brands get "sticker shock" when hiring senior executives and how fractional leadership across five key pillars (sales, marketing, supply chain, finance, and IT) can solve this problem. Les shares insider insights from his time as a Target buyer, revealing what makes emerging brands stand out and get picked up by major retailers. He also breaks down critical supply chain strategies that can make or break your business, especially in today's volatile market. Les Hamilton brings a unique triple perspective to CPG: retailer experience at Target, agency work at Emerson Group, and manufacturing leadership as Chief Revenue Officer at Highlands. His company CPG Integrated helps small to medium-sized health and beauty brands (typically $1-30M) access senior-level expertise without the full-time cost. Fresh insights from Expo West included, plus what trends are hot and what's already passé.