Delivering What Matters Leadership Lessons with Kevin Warren

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and
John McMahon talk to the Executive Vice President and Chief
Marketing Officer at UPS, Kevin Warren. Kevin takes us through
his journey in business, starting from his time as a salesperson
in Xerox to where he is now at UPS. Kevin talks about constant
improvement and ensuring that you are learning new things to keep
up with dynamic markets. He applies this mantra even at UPS,
where he took on the enormous challenge of elevating the
established company marketing and brand strategy to adjust for
modern times and new markets. 


Additional Resources:


UPS Blue Horizons Minority Incentive Program |
https://bit.ly/3PhYnvE

Georgetown Scholarship |
give.georgetown.edu/LucyWarrenScholarship

Making the Most of Every Lead: Key Questions to Help Sales
and Marketing Alignment | https://forc.mx/3uPZSHF

More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDS



HIGHLIGHTS


How a sales job led to an Executive VP and CMO position

Constantly assess and update your personal skill set 

The importance of a mentor-mentee relationship 

The journey from Xerox to UPS

Shifting industries, learning the language and gaining
credibility 

Partnerships and relations are everything

Protecting a well-established brand in a dynamic industry



GUEST BIO


Kevin Warren is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing
Officer at UPS. In this role he’s responsible for U.S. and
International Marketing, The UPS Store, Digital Channels, Revenue
Enablement, Business Planning, Forecasting & Pricing, Digital
Marketing, Customer Experience, Brand Relevancy, and the
company’s Ware2Go subsidiary. His highly developed perspective on
data-centric business and non-traditional engagement channels is
driving change at UPS and setting new standards in digitally
enabled customer experience. As the e-commerce business era takes
shape, Kevin is shaping those critical aspects of UPS strategy
that will deliver the business of the future.


Most recently, Kevin served as Executive Vice President and Chief
Commercial Officer for Xerox Corporation, where he was
responsible for marketing, worldwide channel strategy, salesforce
effectiveness, and global client engagement for the company’s
diverse portfolio of hardware, software, and services.


Previously, Kevin served as president of Global Growth
Opportunities, responsible for accelerating revenue growth
outside the United States. In addition, he had strategic
oversight for two Xerox operating units, Global Imaging Systems
and Xerox Canada, as well as leading the company’s 3-D printing
strategy.


He also led the integration activity surrounding Xerox’s $1.5
billion purchase of Global Imaging Systems. In 2007, he was named
chairman, president and chief executive officer of Xerox Canada
and in 2010, was named president of U.S. Client Operations. Kevin
joined Xerox in 1984 as a sales trainee in Washington, D.C.


Kevin is a board member for Fiserv, Georgetown University, and
the UPS Foundation. He is also a current member of the Executive
Leadership Council and a founding member of the Black Executive
CMO Alliance (BECA). Previously, Kevin served on the board of
Illinois Tool Works and the national board of Big Brothers Big
Sisters of America.


A native of Washington, D.C., Kevin received his Bachelor of
Science in finance from Georgetown University and is an alumnus
of the Harvard Business School, having completed the Advanced
Management Program.


QUOTES


Kevin: "Because the industry is changing, that
means your skillset's got to be changing, you've got to be
changing faster. So the 2022 version of Kevin has got to be
better than the 2021. It's the same sort of thing as far as
looking at your skills and competencies and what you're bringing
to the table." 


Kevin: "It was almost really a race of me
gaining internal credibility and learning the industry in the
company at a depth level deep enough so then I can leverage my
commercial knowledge and see things from fresh eyes to get the
benefit of that different experience." 


Kevin: "The marketing function led-effort worked
well with our communications function to come up with our purpose
statement, which is 'Moving our world forward by delivering what
matters.'"


Kevin: "If you're in an industry that's dynamic,
that's moving more to digital and you've got new players and
wannabe disruptors, it's good; you gotta have that trust. But you
also have to, an exam question on momentum is 'Is this a company
that's on its way up, or are its best days behind it? Is this a
company that's agile and innovative? Cool, digital? Is this a
company that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and thinks
the environment is important?"


Check out John McMahon’s book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064