Employee Spotlights: Caitlin Dubay & Celine Sung
Associate Customer Success Managers at Bedrock Analytics, Caitlin Dubay and Celine Sung, use their prior retail experiences as a Senior Allocation Analyst and Buyer/Merchant to make data ingestible for CPG brands of all sizes.
Caitlin Dubay and Celine Sung are no strangers to data, yet they know just how crippling it can be to extract the right insights and deliver them in a strong sales pitch. With backgrounds rich in consumer data analytics at multinational retail corporations TJX stores and Walmart, Caitlin and Celine know how to analyze consumer data to make strategic planning decisions. They’re used to working with merchants to identify new seeds and make buying suggestions based on sales and consumer trends.
Caitlin was a Senior Allocation Analyst at TJX Companies (TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Marshalls) who worked with merchants to compare alternatives while purchasing millions of dollars worth of merchandise for over 1,000 stores. She had the opportunity to sit in on selling pitches and saw firsthand what buyers were responding to and why.
Celine was a Category Specialist and Associate Merchant at Walmart, buying for both e-commerce and brick and mortar. She understands the buyer’s perspective of what they want to see. She knows when one might focus on growth, another might focus on margin, but she knows there is always a “what” buyers are looking for.
Their biggest pain point? The harmonization of data across a variety of retailers – something they’re eager to tell customers they now have the power to achieve with Bedrock.
When Bedrock shared the platform and gave them a demo, they were instantly hooked. They saw in real-time how the analysis they were previously spending hours on in their other roles could be expedited. They were in awe of the way it could integrate multiple retail data sources and display the data in a user-friendly interface showing the most important insights – all automated.
They joined the Bedrock team in July 2021 with a group of five new hires and the team hasn’t stopped growing since.
These employee spotlights will serve as an under-the-hood look at team member’s unique backgrounds and experiences they bring to the table to make Bedrock an industry-first for CPG sales teams. As CPG analysts and ex-retail buyers, their commonality is storytelling from raw data analysis.
- Why did you choose to join the Bedrock Analytics team?
Caitlin: I was impressed with the work that Bedrock was doing. They are paving the way in making CPG data accessible like never before. During the interview process, I was given a demonstration on how to utilize the platform and found it solved so many pain points that I had experienced in my previous data analysis roles. After seeing the product, I knew this was something I needed to be a part of to finally help customers digest the data in a way they can utilize for compelling sales decks.
Celine: I was looking for a new opportunity and when I came across Bedrock Analytics, I saw they were trying to solve a problem that I personally had when I was at Walmart. I feel like most CPG employees go through the struggle of trying to obtain and merge data from all of the different sources. Personally, I had to use Nielsen, IRI, Walmart’s Retail Link and it was just a mess to work with.
- What makes you excited about your role at Bedrock Analytics?
Caitlin: Just as it was exciting to see TJX brands break through and make a name for themselves, it’s extremely rewarding to already be seeing the success come from smaller and emerging brands that are using the platform to gain shelf space and increase brand recognition. Having a platform like Bedrock would have been extremely beneficial for me, especially when looking at data from several brands at once. It’s nice to look at multiple retailers on the platform with a click of the button. I’m excited to show our customers how to use the platform to make those selling stories with success on the buying side.
Celine: Bedrock Analytics is really something unique in this industry that I never heard about, truthfully. If I could have had this software at Walmart, I think my job would have been 10 times easier. I cannot wait to interact with customers more and show them how easy it is to get the data that they need to pitch to a buyer, look at their own category growth, or really anything else.
- How do you describe your job to someone outside the industry?
Caitlin: I translate data to make it ingestible for all roles within the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. My main role is to manage the conversion of raw data to accessible and usable insights in our platform for CPG brands. I also work closely with consulting work with our clients. I’ve done a number of selling story decks and I really enjoy putting together the stories for our clients.
Celine: I describe my job as a mix between that of a consultant, analyst, quality assurance, and customer success. Creating and maintaining the database would be more of the analyst/quality assurance side, while interacting with customers and helping build out presentations would be the consultant/customer success side.
- What is one experience in your career that has helped shape who you are?
Caitlin: Not being afraid to pivot. I always expected my career to stay within the buying side of retail. Taking the leap and joining Bedrock allowed me to realize my strength and passion for working with customers. The CPG industry paired with the tech space helped me realize I love working directly with clients and helping them gain success with the platform.
Celine: Walmart went through a reorganization in August 2020, which proved to be a big change for everyone in the company. I went from buying for just e-commerce to buying for stores and e-commerce. Teams were all switched around and it was the biggest uproot I have ever experienced.Through that however, I was able to learn how to reach out to other people, be more collaborative, and learn that it’s okay not to know something as long as you are willing to learn.
- What elements of the work you are doing at Bedrock Analytics do you think will make the most impact in the market?
Caitlin: This is the area that gets me excited. First and foremost, being able to save time for our clients to get back to what they do best – delivering compelling sales stories. But equally important, it’s the data harmonization and simplicity in extracting the valuable insights from multiple retailers with the click of a button. Being able to change your retailer, or the metric you’re looking at in an instant is hugely impactful to the market. Bedrock is revolutionizing how easy it can be for CPG brands to use AI and machine learning for automated presentations.
Celine: Would it be odd to say all of it? I just think that Bedrock Analytics is bringing such a newer and easier way of going through the whole process of buying/reporting for CPG companies. I don’t think data is going to simply merge into one place, so Bedrock is here to solve that problem.
- Where can we find you on the weekends?
Caitlin: At my favorite coffee shop with friends! Or likely at the Dogpark with my goldendoodle, Finn. Oh, and spending way more than I need at Target.
Celine: I am currently based in the Bay Area and really enjoy hiking and being around nature. However after that hike, I am usually at a restaurant trying some amazing food with friends.