Paola de Almeida
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Paola is an award-winning Senior executive with more than 20 years of experience leading strategy, innovation, and business operations in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and consulting industries, focused on value creation and delivering growth strategies across global businesses. She was for the last 4 years the Chief Innovation Officer for Mars, Inc and is now leading Food, Agriculture and Water Portfolio investment strategy for Pegasus Capital. She is well recognized for her fluent ability to bring the outside in, articulating the next generation of needs and tactical solutions.
A highly experienced systems thinker, operating on the frontiers to address the most current challenging issues, Paola brings extensive senior leadership competencies, combining transformation orchestration, portfolio management and multi-disciplinary change deployment in large-scale programs. Throughout her career, her work has driven market share gains, novel and competitively advantaged functional capability, global governance for strategic resource allocation and white space commercial opportunities, leveraging bespoke science & technology and global stakeholder networks.
Trusted C-Suite advisor with a reputation for creating new and novel solutions by bringing the focus and energy needed to drive individual, team, and business goals.
Resilient and agile change leader thriving in rapid decision-making environments, innovative problem-solving, and transformation.
Valued teammate who can build effective cross-functional relationships and navigate highly matrixed business environments while bringing along internal and external partners.
Collaborative and experienced people leader, committed to motivating and developing diverse talent; Sponsor for non-profits focused on unlocking minorities and underrepresented groups leadership.
Dedicated coach and mentor known for sponsoring returns from sabbaticals and supporting promotions into leadership roles.
Areas of expertise include strategy development and execution, sustainable systems, innovation from concept to commercialization, end to end business delivery and change management, large scale team leadership/development/mentoring, portfolio allocation, global business development, foresight and insights, consumer research segmentation, financial analysis, customer relationship management, regenerative business models and acquisitions.