The founders of 10 scaling fmcg challenger brands have graduated from the first-ever Brand Growth Heroes ‘Mini MBA’, led by Fiona Fitzpatrick in partnership with investment bank Alantra.
Designed specifically for the challenges faced by rapidly growing startups in the industry across categories, the 10-week programme reached a conclusion last week.
Alantra sponsored four places on the course, backing Bold Bean Co, Fix8 Kombucha, Meurisse and Pärla to take part.
Better Nature, Chimac, Cuzena, Fearne & Rosie, Pukpip and X-Lite made up the inaugural cohort of 10 brands to complete the MBA.
The course aimed to equip founders with the knowledge, skills and strategies needed to accelerate their brand’s growth, and was built around 10 mini challenges, with participants engaging in an intensive series of weekly online learning sessions, interactive group workshops and personalised mentoring.
Fitzpatrick, who has 25 years’ fmcg experience following a career spent at Nestlé, Gü Desserts, Premier Foods and Strong Roots, oversaw the MBA programme, with support from Charles Lanceley, Alantra’s head of UK food & beverage. Further bespoke support was also provided by Harlands Accountants and data and insights specialist firm North Star.
“The energy and ambition of these founders is truly inspiring,” Lanceley said. “The Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA has been more than just a learning experience; it has served as a catalyst for transformative growth. At Alantra, we are thrilled to support and mentor these remarkable brands, not only during the BGH Mini MBA but also as they continue their journey to scale and succeed.”
Fitzpatrick added: “I am thrilled and immensely proud of the journey the founders of these 10 amazing brands have undertaken over the past three months. Their commitment to the BGH Mini MBA, alongside managing their businesses, has been truly impressive.
“Our partnership with Alantra is fuelled by a shared dedication to helping founders of vibrant CPG brands thrive and realise their visions. By completing the BGH Mini MBA, these founders have positioned themselves exceptionally well to achieve their ambitions.”
The course was supplemented by a weekly series of ‘fireside chats’, offering founders the chance to grill a lineup of business leaders, entrepreneurs and industry innovators, including:
- Simon Devonshire, serial entrepreneur and former entrepreneur in residence for the UK government, and Deepak Ravindran, co-founder of Oddbox, who discussed entrepreneurship and the role of purpose and values
- Charles Lanceley and Harlands commercial director Phil Murray, who shared their expertise on scaling profitably, driving value in a business as it grows and developing a financial leadership mindset
- Holland & Barrett group growth director Lisa Tookey and Rachel Chatterton, head of food and beverage development, who offered insights on imagining future and transformation strategies
- David Hamilton, a global leader in food & beverage, who shared his experience in innovation, ideation and leadership roles at major food companies such as Kerry Group
- Absolute Collagen co-founder Maxine Laceby who shared her entrepreneurial journey and insights on building a successful brand
- Ed Devlin, chief finance reporter at The Grocer and former supermarket buyer Al Overton, who talked about generating demand
- Tom Jewell, an expert in people and culture and the former head of talent at HelloFresh, who discussed people, partnerships, capabilities and assets to support growth.
Bold Bean co-founder Ed Whelpton said: “The Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA has been amazingly valuable. It covers all the practical aspects of business strategy including operations, people and finance, but emphasises the role marketing has to play in all these departments and forces you to become clearer on how your brand is going to win.
“As a co-founder with an operations and finance background, I now understand the central role of brand and customer insight in all business areas, positively impacting everything from hiring to supplier management.”
Elin Roberts, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Nature Tempeh, added: “We’ve loved being part of the programme. As a founder, the temptation is to always be getting things done and limit taking the time out to learn, reflect and rethink, even though we know that’s how we most effectively grow our businesses.
“That’s why this programme has been so valuable, because it has created the space and structure for us to do that deep thinking and strategising, as well as given us brilliant support from leading experts in the industry like Fiona, the Alantra team and an incredible set of fellow startups.”
Global mid-market financial services firm Alantra, which publishes the annual Fast 50 report to highlight the most rapidly growing businesses in food and drink, employees more than 650 professionals across Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia, providing investment banking, asset management and private capital services to companies, families and investors operating in the mid-market segment.
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