In conversation with: Amber Johnson
Amber has been looking at creating a sustainable future for cocoa, motivated by positively impacting everyone along the value chain, from farmers to consumers.
What do you do at Mars? I’ve been at Mars for almost 20 years and I lead the Cocoa Enterprise, an end-to-end organisation that covers all aspects of a signature programme: science to sourcing, sustainability to communications; truly ‘soil to shelf’.
What’s the best thing about it? The possibilities. With the impact we can have in communities and throughout the value chain, cocoa is fascinating. We can apply our unique capabilities and lead a team of diverse, passionate leaders who are committed to impacting not only today but also shaping what the future of cocoa looks like.
Why is it important to have purpose? At Mars we think in generations. Doing business in a way that’s in line with our goals, ambitions and values enables us to set the stage for the world we want tomorrow. It’s not a tagline or something we do on the side; it’s embedded in how we operate in our categories.
With today’s challenges, how do you stay focused on that? Mars is not immune to the externalities that every company faces. It’s a balance between delivering on performance metrics in the short term while not losing sight of our long-term goals of making a positive societal impact, being a leading voice in the conversation and a trusted partner.
We worked with you on your 2050 vision for cocoa. Why are you thinking so far ahead? We wanted to shift our thinking from ‘present forward’ to an unconstrained view of a ‘future back’ ambition. Cocoa is a unique crop in its scope, scale, lengthy growing seasons and the number of people engaged in it. If we want to make a difference in such a complex category and see a brighter future for it, we need to start now. It’s not uncommon for Mars to think a bit further out than most, in the impact we want to have and the role we want to play in the broader societal opportunity.
What do you hope the impact of that work will be? We can see the level of transformation that’s needed in the sector and the mindsets and behaviours needed to align to that opportunity. Now our teams are envisioning what’s possible in a way they may not have before. We’re excited about what it’s unlocked for us culturally as we make plans to bring it to life.
How do you start your day? My day typically starts around 5am with a very large cup of coffee, taking my dog Max out and reading the news. This gets my head ready for the day!
What are you listening to? Adele, anything Adele, all day, and Beyoncé and Lizzo. Three powerful, beautiful women. I’m listening to Profit from the Source, a book about how you can partner differently with your suppliers, and I’m getting a lot of inspiration from it.
Finish this sentence: I need more…Time, because I’ve got a ton of ideas that get me excited and I would love time to explore them.
This is an excerpt from our latest book Purpose: Built, it’s all about making change happen and designing a brighter, better future. If you’d like a copy of request one here.
Interview by: Prudence Foster, Managing Consultant at Magnetic.
Magnetic is a design and innovation company that helps design better futures. We’ve worked with global businesses to build capabilities, products, services and transform organisations. To find out more get in touch: prudence.foster@wearemagnetic.com.
