Get to Know Sam Way

Meet the GM - we get to know Sam Way

What do you get when you cross a pioneering spirit with over 20 years of FMCG experience? Meet Sam Way, Cartology’s GM of Commercial & Strategic Solutions - Food, as he shares his thoughts on leadership, finding opportunities for growth, and what lights his fire every day. 

Tell us a bit about yourself, your role and what’s happening in your vertical. 

A newcomer to Cartology since May, but with over two decades of FMCG experience working at two multi-nationals, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, I have had the privilege of partnering with some of the best local and global brands, as well as leading the fantastic Food Sales team as GM Commercial & Strategic Solutions - Food. Our team's strategic imperative is to find opportunities for growth for our clients, improving the customer experience by leveraging the full potential customer media has to offer.

What was a pivotal moment or key experience in your career that's profoundly shaped how you're going to approach your current role? 

In 2021, I joined the executive leadership team at Coca-Cola based in Singapore. I was leading the establishment of a new digital function across the region ASEAN & South Pacific (x28 countries). The cross cultural learning in my first international assignment, coupled with the speed of change in digital; galvanised a critical, adaptive leadership style. 

My approach moving forward: Remain ever curious and hold enough humility to learn from all. This agility still shapes me today.

What specifically about your work here, or the challenges we're tackling, gets you genuinely excited to come in every day? 

The abundance of opportunities to explore and the team’s energy for growth is truly contagious. There are no shortage of ideas on how to pioneer and grow for our business, our clients and our team. As a leader, it’s the navigation and choices along the way which will be the fun part. 

I pride myself on cross functional learning, developing the next generation of leaders and bringing my authentic self to the fore every day.

Looking at our business, what's one area where you see immense untapped potential for growth or improvement?

We’re seeing Retail Media literacy improve. Brands are confident and successfully leveraging Retail Media for lower-funnel tactics and at the point of physical availability. However, the immense opportunity lies in moving beyond these initial steps. The next frontier for brands is to fully unlock the power of Retail Media to build brand equity and influence customers throughout the entire funnel, not just at the final moment of purchase. 

We’ve got a huge opportunity to strategically partner and help brands grow by striking the balance of mental and physical availability, leveraging the full sofa-to-shelf potential enabled by our first party customer insights. 

What’s one trend you’re keeping a close eye on?

It would be remiss of me referencing any trend without the mention of artificial intelligence but in particular, I’m keeping a close eye on agentic AI. This intriguing evolution, not only has the potential to enable our teams but also our clients. Pursuant to long term brand objectives; the ability to leverage tech and AI developments to autonomously plan, action and yield results over time, leveraging Retail Media is very exciting. 

What's the best career advice you've received?

Leadership is a privilege, not a title. How you show up, where you invest your time and how you develop your talent; really matters.