Emily Smith

About Emily Smith

I build things that last — teams, partnerships, capabilities, and cultures that keep delivering long after the initial push. My career has been defined by stepping into complexity and creating clarity. In the CPG and retail media space, I\'ve led transformative partnerships, built new organizational functions from scratch, and grown high-value client relationships that drive meaningful revenue at scale.At Instacart, I lead the Household Essentials Pillar — overseeing some of the most strategically significant brand partnerships in the portfolio across CPG categories including non-food, household, and personal care. I recognized early that these under-penetrated categories represented a significant untapped opportunity for the business, and made the case for building a dedicated Category Growth function to go after it. That investment has since unlocked substantial incremental value. Beyond the commercial results, it\'s a model for how to build organizational capability around a real market insight.At Quotient Technology, I helped to build the Customer Success function from the ground up — leading a team of 18+ and designing the operating model behind $200M+ in revenue.What sets me apart isn\'t just the commercial outcomes. It\'s the ability to bring people along — earning trust quickly, aligning cross-functional teams, and creating the kind of stability that helps others do their best work. I\'m a strategic thinker who also knows how to build.I\'m most energized when I\'m operating at the intersection of strategy and people development — having high-level conversations that shape direction, and investing in the next generation of leaders. I believe the best leaders make themselves less necessary over time, not more.Currently focused on elevating my strategic thought leadership, building scalable team systems, and pursuing executive-level conversations at the intersection of retail media, brand partnerships, and organizational growth. Always open to connecting with innovators in this space.

Experience

1. Director, Household Essentials Brand Partnerships

   Instacart

   Oct 2023 — Present · Cincinnati, OH, US

Education

• Mount Vernon Nazarene University

  BS, Marketing & Communications

  2005 — 2009

Skills

• Market Research
• Management
• Project Management
• Leadership
• Client Services
• Photography
• Qualitative Research
• Financial Services
• Social Media
• Advertising
• Marketing Communications
• Powerpoint
• Customer Insight
• Client Service
• Marketing
• Microsoft Office