As March unfolds, we warmly welcome Women's History Month, a dedicated period to honor the remarkable contributions and achievements of women throughout history. It's a time to celebrate resilience, empowerment, and the pivotal roles women have played in shaping our world. From trailblazers who shattered glass ceilings to unsung heroes whose stories inspire change, let's embark on a journey to commemorate the indelible mark women have left on every aspect of society.
Allow us to introduce Ashley Christensen, a veteran of 20 years in the consumer packaged goods, advanced tech, food and beverage industries, as well as advertising agencies. Ashley has always embraced taking leaps of faith. In September 2011, after 5 years on the agency side supporting brands like P&G, General Motors and Comcast, she made the bold decision to move to the West Coast to kick off her brand-side experience. After spearheading digital marketing programs for the legendary Peet’s Coffee & Tea, she found herself at Instagram as one of their first marketing hires and was tasked with driving awareness and adoption of the platform in its hyper growth stage. After over five years there, she returned to the East Coast as the new Chief Marketing Officer of MingsBings, a better-for-you frozen food startup. Under her leadership, MingsBings secured retail placements in over 5,500 doors, including large grocers like Whole Foods Market, Target, Publix, Sprouts and Costco as well as at iconic venues like Fenway Park, Hard Rock Stadium and Tropicana Park.. As Ashley continues to inspire and innovate, she graciously took the time to answer a few questions shedding light on the importance of women in leadership and sharing insights from her illustrious career thus far.
Can you share a bit about your professional journey and how you arrived at your current leadership role? Were there specific challenges you faced, and how did you navigate them?
I began my career in the ad agency business in Boston after graduating from Villanova with a degree in Communication. My first role was as a Project Manager. It wasn’t easy, I wasn’t making a lot of money and I was working some crazy late nights (I still have nightmares about making updates to the tiny legal copy on 300x250 ad units), but the experience was invaluable because I had a front row seat to how agencies work, how clients think, feel and act, and had the opportunity to touch some incredible brands like P&G and General Motors. After my time on the agency side, I moved to California to help build out Peet’s Coffee & Tea digital marketing programs, which is where my love for the food and beverage industry began. I later moved on to Instagram as one of their first marketing hires, and spent 5.5 years on the monetization team tasked with driving awareness and adoption of Instagram’s business tools. In 2017, my husband and I moved back to Massachusetts to be closer to our family and friends, and through one of my mentors, was connected with the founders of MingsBings, a frozen food startup. I started my journey there as a CMO in 2021, and in partnership with a tiny but mighty team, launched the brand from scratch, took it to +5,500 stores around the country and to iconic venues like Fenway Park and Hard Rock Stadium, and generated significant placements in major publications like Forbes, Good Housekeeping and Women’s Health Magazine. Throughout these experiences, I’ve faced many challenges, from org and leadership changes, to underperforming skus, to workplace drama, but I’ve been able to navigate through them by leaning on people in my personal and professional network. What I’ve come to learn is there’s no challenge that hasn’t been solved before, it’s just about finding the right person to help you out.
From your perspective, how crucial is mentorship for women in leadership positions?
Mentorship is huge. Like having a best friend to turn to when you need advice, mentors are your BBFFL (business best friends for life). For me, mentors have been people (males and females) who I admired first and later trusted and confided in. They’re simply good people who want to see you succeed, have been in your shoes before and are willing to give you precious time and a little support along your journey. Building these relationships takes time; maintaining these relationships takes effort. That’s on you.
In your opinion, what specific strengths do women bring to leadership positions that may differentiate their approach or contribute to the overall success of a team or organization? In what ways have your unique qualities contributed to your leadership approach?
It’s no doubt that women bring unique set of strengths to the table and it’s great that many male leaders are now recognizing the need to fill those unmet skills within their teams. At our core, women are naturally empathetic leaders. We deeply understand and connect with others and their situations—having this ability helps people feel seen and heard. We’re also nurturers which is inherently rooted in our DNA. Team-based nurturing, project nurturing, external relationship nurturing and management—this is something we excel in. That’s why women make incredible sales people, because we take time to nurture relationships over time. Additionally, women are great multi-taskers. We can balance large decisions and significant implications with small operation-based decisions and agendas because we’re in that mode on a daily basis in our personal lives.
Drawing from your own experiences, what advice would you share with young women aspiring to leadership roles?
- Start broad - I constantly reflect on the time I spent at ad agencies at the beginning of my career which gave me huge exposure across the world of marketing and advertising. Prioritize finding a role that gives you the ability to experience a variety of different things- people, clients, industries, roles, etc. Sure, social media is familiar and fun for recent grads, but don’t get too deeply rooted in one area early in your career. You’re setting the foundation for the rest of your career, and that foundation needs to be solid! Project managers and account managers are great roles to explore and gain this type of experience to begin building out the many tools of your Swiss army knife.
- Build relationships (and maintain them!) - Without a doubt, relationships are the #1 key to business. Start building your relationships early in your internships, first jobs and beyond. I recently caught up with a recruiter I first met over 13 years ago and a mentor who I’ve admired since my days at Peet’s. We stay in touch, we know how each other’s families are doing, and we have great conversations about marketing which keeps my head fresh. Life gets busy, but these relationships will be the cement that holds your career together. Invest your time here.
- Support fellow women - there are so many ways you can lift fellow women’s careers up. Take the time to ask them what they’re working on and what they’re challenged with, comment on their posts for reach, post about them if they’re looking for a job, and most importantly, buy their product on your next trip to the store! Some of the women I admire and follow are Denise Woodard of Partake Foods, Cheryl Vanvalkenburgh of Once Upon a Farm, Jessica Jensen of Indeed, Sarah Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply and Jing Gao of Fly By Jing. Give them a follow if you haven’t already!
- Market yourself - When your full time job is to market a brand or product, it can be easy to overlook finding the time to do the same for yourself. This can sometimes be challenging for women. I encourage those who I mentor and coach to frequently market themselves both within their organizations and externally. At work, this could look like a monthly recap of what you learned and why it matters for your business or a proactive weekly status report. Externally, you could update your LinkedIn profile with your latest skills, or post examples of your projects or some trends you’re seeing in your industry. Think about it like you’re building your personal brand- frequent touchpoints will keep you top of mind.
Over her 20-year career, Ashley has gained invaluable knowledge. A key lesson: early exposure to diverse roles is crucial. It not only sets a strong foundation but also ensures longevity. Ashley stresses the importance of relying on others, advocating for BBFFLs (business best friends for life). Collaboration and shared growth are essential for success in business.
Women's History Month commemorates women's contributions across all fields, celebrating their resilience and achievements. By showcasing diverse experiences, the month inspires future generations and advances gender equality. Thank you, Ashley, for sharing your wisdom. Your insights will undoubtedly benefit women in our company, industry, and aspiring young professionals alike.