Liliana Esposito's guest appearances

Liliana Esposito

Sustainable Nation

Frictionless Marketing

OwlTail

Liliana joined Wendy’s in June 2014 and has served as Chief Corporate Affairs &amp; Sustainability Officer since February 2021 to reflect her range of responsibilities across Communications, Quality Assurance, Customer Care, Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility. She previously served as our Chief Communications Officer from June 2014 to February 2021. Liliana sets the vision and strategy for all communications with franchisees and employees, public relations, government relations and corporate responsibility. Her work with the Quality Assurance function involves developing quality and safety procedures throughout our supply chain and restaurants to provide a safe and quality dining experience for all Wendy’s customers. Liliana prides herself on building diverse teams and empowering them to find solutions – a leadership style that has produced notable results. Her team recently restructured Wendy’s corporate responsibility efforts under one united banner, Good Done Right, and created our Supplier Code of Conduct. Under her direction, Wendy’s also launched The Square Deal, Wendy’s blog to provide a point of view on issues that are important to our Company and our customers. Prior to Wendy’s, Liliana served as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Dean Foods in Dallas, TX. Her previous experience includes tenure as Public Affairs Manager with Mars, Incorporated in New Jersey, and as a public relations consultant for eight years in New York City. Liliana Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss:  Defining responsible sourcing and identifying criteria for responsibly sourcing food What consumers are looking for in the industry in regards to sustainability The process of starting GHG inventories, CDP reporting, and setting science-based targets Wendy’s “Good done right” goals for food, people and footprint  Tying sustainability performance to incentives Advice and recommendations for sustainability professionals  Liliana’s Final Five Questions Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? The advice that I would give is just to be a sponge for learning and for relationships and networking with others in the field. I would not have considered myself a sustainability professional even 10 years ago. There is so much to learn. There is so much to absorb. I don't think anyone can be an expert in all of it. I think really broadening your aperture so that you have the benefit of expertise from others that are in different aspects of your field is something that I really value. Probably the most important resource that I see in the field is people. Hopefully you can provide some value to them in terms of the expertise and the knowledge that you have, but also continuing to build those relationships and reach out and network to increase your effectiveness. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? The biggest is just the awareness and the general knowledge and interest in this area. That takes a lot of different forms and different parts of the industry, different stakeholders are coming at it with different points of view. But I think that there's never been a better time to really be demonstrating the value and the importance of sustainability work within the business community. I feel like the conversation I'm not having anymore is around “why should we care about this?” Does this actually add to our business value? Is there a strong rationale for being focused on ESG or sustainability? Now the conversation is much more around, “where should we be putting our precious resources?” Where can our efforts be most successful and most effective?  What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I'll go to the classics. There's certainly lots of more contemporary examples, but I think Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I was in college when I read it. That really started to open my eyes around not just the importance of a focus on the environment and on sustainability, but a factual, well researched, analysis of what was happening and what we as a society could do to make a more positive impact. I know that's a classic, but I think it's still relevant today. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work? To repeat myself, people. I really do collect and curate a great network of people that come from all different backgrounds and perspectives and areas of expertise. The more that I can connect and engage with people that do things that are very different than what I do professionally, I just grow and learn from that. And then a plug for you Josh and your colleagues for podcasts like this one. I usually go for a run every day and I've got a collection of podcasts and other things that, that that's the soundtrack to my daily runs because I feel like there's always something new coming out to help us just learn and get better. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the sustainability work being done at Wendy's? We would love for you to hop over to wendys.com and click on the what we value segment of our website. You can find our corporate responsibility reports for 2022 and the years in the past, and then certainly a wealth of information about the company and our commitments overall.

Liliana joined Wendy’s in June 2014 and has served as Chief Corporate Affairs &amp; Sustainability Officer since February 2021 to reflect her range of responsibilities across Communications, Quality Assurance, Customer Care, Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility. She previously served as our Chief Communications Officer from June 2014 to February 2021. Liliana sets the vision and strategy for all communications with franchisees and employees, public relations, government relations and corporate responsibility. Her work with the Quality Assurance function involves developing quality and safety procedures throughout our supply chain and restaurants to provide a safe and quality dining experience for all Wendy’s customers. Liliana prides herself on building diverse teams and empowering them to find solutions – a leadership style that has produced notable results. Her team recently restructured Wendy’s corporate responsibility efforts under one united banner, Good Done Right, and created our Supplier Code of Conduct. Under her direction, Wendy’s also launched The Square Deal, Wendy’s blog to provide a point of view on issues that are important to our Company and our customers. Prior to Wendy’s, Liliana served as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Dean Foods in Dallas, TX. Her previous experience includes tenure as Public Affairs Manager with Mars, Incorporated in New Jersey, and as a public relations consultant for eight years in New York City. Liliana Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: <ul> <li>Defining responsible sourcing and identifying criteria for responsibly sourcing food</li> <li>What consumers are looking for in the industry in regards to sustainability</li> <li>The process of starting GHG inventories, CDP reporting, and setting science-based targets</li> <li>Wendy’s “Good done right” goals for food, people and footprint </li> <li>Tying sustainability performance to incentives</li> <li>Advice and recommendations for sustainability professionals</li> </ul> Liliana’s Final Five Questions Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? The advice that I would give is just to be a sponge for learning and for relationships and networking with others in the field. I would not have considered myself a sustainability professional even 10 years ago. There is so much to learn. There is so much to absorb. I don't think anyone can be an expert in all of it. I think really broadening your aperture so that you have the benefit of expertise from others that are in different aspects of your field is something that I really value. Probably the most important resource that I see in the field is people. Hopefully you can provide some value to them in terms of the expertise and the knowledge that you have, but also continuing to build those relationships and reach out and network to increase your effectiveness. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? The biggest is just the awareness and the general knowledge and interest in this area. That takes a lot of different forms and different parts of the industry, different stakeholders are coming at it with different points of view. But I think that there's never been a better time to really be demonstrating the value and the importance of sustainability work within the business community. I feel like the conversation I'm not having anymore is around “why should we care about this?” Does this actually add to our business value? Is there a strong rationale for being focused on ESG or sustainability? Now the conversation is much more around, “where should we be putting our precious resources?” Where can our efforts be most successful and most effective?  What is one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? I'll go to the classics. There's certainly lots of more contemporary examples, but I think Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I was in college when I read it. That really started to open my eyes around not just the importance of a focus on the environment and on sustainability, but a factual, well researched, analysis of what was happening and what we as a society could do to make a more positive impact. I know that's a classic, but I think it's still relevant today. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in your work? To repeat myself, people. I really do collect and curate a great network of people that come from all different backgrounds and perspectives and areas of expertise. The more that I can connect and engage with people that do things that are very different than what I do professionally, I just grow and learn from that. And then a plug for you Josh and your colleagues for podcasts like this one. I usually go for a run every day and I've got a collection of podcasts and other things that, that that's the soundtrack to my daily runs because I feel like there's always something new coming out to help us just learn and get better. Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the sustainability work being done at Wendy's? We would love for you to hop over to <a href="http://wendys.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wendys.com</a> and click on the what we value segment of our website. You can find our corporate responsibility reports for 2022 and the years in the past, and then certainly a wealth of information about the company and our commitments overall.

Liliana Esposito - Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer at Wendy's

Liliana Esposito is the Chief Corporate Affairs &amp; Sustainability Officer at The Wendy's Company where she guides public affairs and communications to build and protect the company’s reputation. Liliana has spent nearly 15 years leading communications for consumer packaged goods, beverage and restaurant brands, with stints at Burson-Marsteller, Mars, and Dean Foods. Wendy’s is one of the most notoriously funny brands on social media and also one of the boldest. It is an example of a brand that executes many firsts, with cutting edge campaigns and stunts that have never been done before. In this conversation, we discussed Liliana’s experience during the pandemic, her approach to DE&amp;I, and how Wendy’s is able to keep its winning edge in the social media ecosystem.Feel free to listen to the entire conversation on Lippe Taylor’s Frictionless Marketing Podcast below. Here are some key takeaways from this conversation with Liliana.Be inspired, but be yourself.When it comes to Wendy's, the brand's constant innovations and fresh thinking--coupled with its funny and often sassy humor--makes it an extremely unique voice. Liliana is often asked by other brand executives how their brand can be more like Wendy's, to which she often replies, “Don't.” Instead of attempting to replicate a brand's presence, Liliana recommends that brands find their own voice by determining what they can bring to the community. Communal listening is a key element of this.Don't kill creativity with ROI.One of Wendy's traditions is Roast Day, in which they publicly roast a slew of other brands, resulting in hilarious Twitter banter. This is a very unique stunt that Wendy's has become known for, but Liliana speaks to how it’s not designed just to sell more chicken nuggets. The point is, things like this help the brand build a following and remain top-of-mind, which naturally leads to better business results.Transparency is key during uncertain times, as is community.Throughout the course of the pandemic, companies universally had to take a deeper dive into their internal communications approach and Wendy's was no different. Liliana claimed that among employees and key stakeholders there was a craving for both up-to-date information and a connection with the Company. As a result, she streamlined communication protocols in favor of real-time conversations which enabled the company to thrive during these uncertain times. Internal comms approaches are being completely rebooted, and for good reason. It's time to throw out the rule books and speak with your people and stakeholders in real time.Thanks for listening, don’t forget to subscribe!-----Produced by Simpler Media

Liliana Esposito is the Chief Corporate Affairs &amp; Sustainability Officer at The Wendy's Company where she guides public affairs and communications to build and protect the company’s reputation. Liliana has spent nearly 15 years leading communications for consumer packaged goods, beverage and restaurant brands, with stints at Burson-Marsteller, Mars, and Dean Foods. Wendy’s is one of the most notoriously funny brands on social media and also one of the boldest. It is an example of a brand that executes many firsts, with cutting edge campaigns and stunts that have never been done before. In this conversation, we discussed Liliana’s experience during the pandemic, her approach to DE&amp;I, and how Wendy’s is able to keep its winning edge in the social media ecosystem.Feel free to listen to the entire conversation on Lippe Taylor’s Frictionless Marketing Podcast below. Here are some key takeaways from this conversation with Liliana.Be inspired, but be yourself.When it comes to Wendy's, the brand's constant innovations and fresh thinking--coupled with its funny and often sassy humor--makes it an extremely unique voice. Liliana is often asked by other brand executives how their brand can be more like Wendy's, to which she often replies, “Don't.” Instead of attempting to replicate a brand's presence, Liliana recommends that brands find their own voice by determining what they can bring to the community. Communal listening is a key element of this.Don't kill creativity with ROI.One of Wendy's traditions is Roast Day, in which they publicly roast a slew of other brands, resulting in hilarious Twitter banter. This is a very unique stunt that Wendy's has become known for, but Liliana speaks to how it’s not designed just to sell more chicken nuggets. The point is, things like this help the brand build a following and remain top-of-mind, which naturally leads to better business results.Transparency is key during uncertain times, as is community.Throughout the course of the pandemic, companies universally had to take a deeper dive into their internal communications approach and Wendy's was no different. Liliana claimed that among employees and key stakeholders there was a craving for both up-to-date information and a connection with the Company. As a result, she streamlined communication protocols in favor of real-time conversations which enabled the company to thrive during these uncertain times. Internal comms approaches are being completely rebooted, and for good reason. It's time to throw out the rule books and speak with your people and stakeholders in real time.Thanks for listening, don’t forget to subscribe!-----Produced by <a href="https://podcastlaunch.pro" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Simpler Media</a>