This 90 second interview is with Roberto De Felice, Marketing Director – most recently Marketing and Category Director for Mars Pet Nutrition UK.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

To keep broadening perspective by constantly putting yourself through new and different situations. I’ve worked mainly for one company but I’ve been lucky to experience a new slice of ambiguity to deal with every few years, whether that was category, market or function. You benefit from the humility you adopt and the relationships you develop in order to learn and deliver when faced with fresh, new challenges.

What future opportunities do you think marketing and communications will create over the next five years?

It’s very apparent right now of course, but the increasing proximity between brand and end consumer is the biggest change, especially in FMCG. It’s driven by tech capability, supported by data capture and it’s opening up new opportunities to serve and satisfy needs better. How well especially larger, more established brands open themselves up to consumers in this way, and the honesty of their story will determine whether they successfully reach and connect new consumers or not.

What is your most trusted news source?

I think the ‘Economist Radio’ Podcasts are great and would recommend you to subscribe if you don’t already. Every day in ‘the intelligence’ they pick 3 broad and big current topics and explore with real depth. Often I find either that’s missing from a daily news bulletin or it’s all too easy with ‘bespoke’ news feeds to end up living in an echo chamber. It’s free, and especially great for the early morning dog walk…!

What has had the most influential impact on your leadership career and why?

Moving abroad with my family to emerging markets really boosted my perspective and toolkit. I was lucky enough to work in India with Mars and benefited lots from the sense of possibility and creativity you get from a fast growing economy, and the pressure of a totally different way of doing things. It also put my own country into sharp relief – there’s so much about the UK that I never really appreciated until I saw it from the outside, and I remain super positive about the future as a result.

What is your biggest takeaway from covid19?

It feels more like a ‘fast forward’ on ‘not new’ trends that were already happening – e.g. flexible working, consumer data aggregation, high street evolution& casualties etc. It just re-emphasises for me that if you see things starting to go in a certain direction, jump on it and take control of that change, else it could move faster than you do. Ultimately avoiding the ‘fear of loss greater than hope of gain’ trap. Above all though, it’s brought home the importance of being close and connected to your family.

How are you planning for 2021 and beyond?

Being really aware of the external world and where things are going has never been more important, because the decisions that are being made in political and economic areas are really impacting short term consumer behaviour. Successful businesses however will blend that responsiveness and a sense of urgency with a really well articulated understanding of what they stand for and why they exist. I think that’s more critical than ever in creating a calm and consistent platform that’s needed for your people to do their best work.

What career advice would you now give to yourself 10 years ago?

I wish I had taken a bit more time for myself at key moments. That is, when the works on and there’s loads of pull, it’s way too easy to put your own interests to one side, which is a false economy. One of Covey’s 7 habits which I think is as relevant as ever is to ‘sharpen the sword’ by taking time to learn and review how you are doing things vs ‘just doing them’. Also don’t be afraid to do things that are important to you – for the first time I’ve taken some time to do something completely different in project managing the build of a new family home. This has been really energising as it’s really rewarding to do something different for your family that you’ve always dreamed about, even if it’s just for a little bit.

What’s the toughest interview question you’ve ever asked or been asked?

Less of an ‘interviewing’ question, but I had a great coach once who would always ask me very deliberately at the beginning of any session ‘How are you’? Of course it’s an everyday introductory question but usually said out of habit. When someone takes the time to really ask it, and to listen to the response it’s incredibly powerful tool. I believe the people you want to work for are always those who show the most interest in you, and this is a great way to make sure you create space for that.

Who is your business hero and why?

I’ve always found company origin stories really inspiring. Usually the way in which something small, but underpinned by principles over the course of many years becomes the thing that unlocks possibilities for so many others. The Mars brothers’ story is one of those – principled leaders with an eye for the new and a restless dissatisfaction with the status quo. What resonates for me is the way they would mix high expectations with lots of autonomy for their people. It taught me the concept of creating ‘freedom within a framework’, which has been a really useful organising thought and management approach for me.