Georgy Makarov
Entrepreneur and executive with 20+ years of building and transforming businesses. Unique combination of deep FMCG expertise (Mars, Nestlé, Barilla) and IT product development (BrandLink, Edadeal/Yandex). I build and lead teams driven by joint vision and consistently delivering growth and profit. I created new businesses or turned around struggling ones with hundreds and thousands of employees, scaled startups, and pioneered direct-to-consumer platforms. I secured the support of corporate stakeholders and raised VC funding. And I'm still learning every day — and I take it all with a healthy sense of humor.
FMCG Background
15 years in leadership roles at global companies including Nestlé (10 years) and Mars (3 years). Managed P&L for major categories, led turnarounds, built sales organizations from scratch, and constantly drove growth.
IT/Startup Background
8 years building digital platforms connecting brands with consumers. Founded BrandLink, helped scale Edadeal to acquisition by Yandex. Expert in 1st party data, CRM platforms, and digital transformation of traditional FMCG marketing.
Let's talk
if you want to discuss:
- true digital transformation of your business,
- guidance for your team and organization in developing required capabilities,
- enabling the inflow of new breakthrough technologies,
- establishing and developing a new approach to consumers based on 1st party data and Life Time Value of each individual consumer
Or if you'd like to invite me to speak at your event, I'll do most of the talking :)
Experience
A career built on creating, scaling, and transforming businesses
- Operate unique platform placing offers from manufacturers into publisher networks, rewarding consumers for purchases at any retailer
- Built consumer loyalty clubs with hundreds of thousands of active monthly users
- Clients include P&G, Ferrero, Unilever, Mars, Henkel, Phillip Morris, Japan Tobacco, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Nestlé and many others
- Achieve 5-6x higher conversion and 8-10x lower cost per contact vs. market standard
- Enable 1st party data collection and personalization at scale
- Created platform enabling personal engagement with consumers based on actual offline purchases
- Created team to get and manage 100+ offers from 70 major brands across 1,000 SKUs
- Grew from 0 to 1.2 million monthly users (Jan-Sep 2018)
- Delivered on business plan targets, leading to acquisition by Russian IT giant Yandex
- Chocolate (2016-2017): Joined during business crisis; refocused team and 3 factories on key operational drivers. Initiated pricing architecture, portfolio management, and channel strategy transformation. Turned heavy decline back to growth and increasing market share.
- Food (2014-2016): Created 5-year strategic vision with global stakeholders for Russian unit with dedicated factory. Revitalized product portfolio and sharpened business model for sustainable growth. Nearly doubled key brand household penetration.
- Sales & Marketing Director (2012-2014): Led 100+ managers and 500 field reps after major restructuring. Transformed distributor business model. Put Nestlé Ice Cream back into competitive game with 50%+ top-line growth.
- Country Business Manager, Mövenpick (2008-2012): Aligned Swiss HQ and Russian market on 3-year plan. Built brand ecosystem including first Mövenpick boutique cafe. Achieved 200% growth, doubled brand awareness.
- Channel Development Manager (2004-2008): Created Retail Key Accounts department from 1 to 75 employees. Started direct delivery in Moscow (30 chains, 1,700 outlets) and St. Petersburg. Achieved 300% distribution and top-line growth.
- PZ Cussons (2003-2004) National KAM: Reintroduced products to Russian market. Led negotiations with major retail clients.
- Barilla (2000-2003) Modern Trade KAM: Built Key Account department from scratch (1 to 25 employees) during the emergence of retail chains in Moscow. Established foundational relationships with Russia's first modern retailers.
Expertise
Where I can add value
FMCG Sales & Trade Marketing
Deep experience in retail channel strategy, key account management, and trade promotion optimization across multiple markets.
Digital Transformation
Bridging traditional FMCG with digital-first approaches — from Yandex to building my own MarTech platform.
1st Party Data & Personalization
Helping brands own their customer relationships through direct data collection and personalized engagement.
Startup Building
Founding and scaling BrandLink from idea to serving major FMCG brands.
Leadership & Team Building
Building and leading high-performance teams across different cultures and organizational contexts.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Launching and scaling brands in competitive markets, from premium ice cream to everyday food products.