Heather Sears

About Heather Sears

I enjoy helping founders and small business owners build their brands, grow their teams and scale their organizations. I thrive when I serve as the connective tissue of an organization, working collaboratively across departments. I am passionate about sustainability—social, economic and environmental. I believe every person brings value and has something to contribute.I am a mission-driven leader with an MBA and 20+ years of brand marketing, general management and business operations experience. My industry experience spans natural foods, consumer packaged goods (CPG) and professional services.I have a deep understanding of organizational development and a proven track-record of building strong teams, both internally and externally through forming strategic extensions of in-house teams with service providers, agencies and freelancers. I have comprehensive experience creating scalable processes, workflows and systems for numerous early-stage companies and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).In my career, I have been through many acquisitions and have learned tremendously from these experiences. Spectrum Organic Products to Hain; Annie’s to General Mills; and Beekeeper Marketing to Advantage, among others. In several, I have played an integral role in the post-acquisition integration and systems migrations.I am regarded for my ability to connect with and inspire people, making cross-functional team leadership my superpower. I am analytical by nature and a data driven decision-maker, even when data is sparse. My classmates in college could not understand why a Quantitative Economics Decision Sciences major would choose to join the Peace Corps. My commitment to making this world a better place called me.Personal Attributes+ Self-starter+ Team player+ Entrepreneurial+ Authentic+ Curious+ Reliable+ People-oriented+ Resourceful+ Humble+ Compassionate+ Transparent+ TrustworthySkills+ Executive presence+ Leadership+ Project management+ Analytical and quantitative+ Problem solving+ Critical thinking+ Data driven decision-making+ Prioritization and delegationFocus Areas+ General Management+ P&L Ownership+ Strategic Planning+ Staff Leadership & Development+ Brand Management+ Business Operations+ Process and Workflow Optimization+ Cross-functional Team Leadership+ Organizational Development+ Business Development+ Customer and Client Relationship Management+ New Product Innovation+ Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMB)

Experience

1. General Manager

   Recchiuti Confections

   Mar 2023 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   Oversee daily business operations of artisan chocolate company.Focus on Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Sales, Customer Service and Systems.Report to founders/owners.

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

  MBA, Marketing

• UC San Diego

  BA, Quantitative Economics Decision Sciences (QEDS)

Skills

• Market Research
• Food
• Marketing
• Packaging Design
• Business Analytics
• Brand Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Packaging
• Marketing Strategy
• E-Commerce
• Product Development
• Sales
• Business Development
• Social Media
• Strategic Planning
• Brand Development
• Forecasting
• Consumer Products
• Marketing Communications
• Entrepreneurship
• Start-Ups