By Betsy Vereckey

If anyone knows the art of the pivot, it’s Kimberly Francis T’08.

Francis arrived at Tuck with a background in consulting but quickly gravitated toward the retail industry and accepted an internship with Target. Since then, she’s worked in brand management for General Mills. She’s delved into integrated marketing at VaynerMedia and Edelman. And now, she’s the chief growth officer at Odele Beauty.

Francis’s career in consumer goods began when she linked up with Tuck alumni from General Mills. She liked the idea of working inside of a company versus consulting and interfacing with top brands that consumers knew and loved, but still felt overwhelmed by having to make a decision.

“When I was thinking about what I wanted to do, I had this moment of paralysis,” Francis says. “I realized that I just had to choose the next step where I could keep learning.”

After seven years at General Mills, she took a position with VaynerMedia, a digital marketing agency, to gain expertise in social and digital strategy and the creative side of campaigns. She then went on to work at Edelman for nearly five years as an executive vice president, client lead and operations director.

“People told me that if I left the CPG ladder I would never work in brand marketing again,” she recalls. “I felt okay with my decision—I knew that I was going to be working with some of the world’s best brands and had the opportunity to learn from a different seat at the table.”

Francis says that her pivots have given her valuable insight on what is important to her when considering a job opportunity. When she’s thinking about making a change, she asks herself three questions. Are the company’s values in alignment with hers? Is there an opportunity to learn? Are there chances for her to teach others and pass on her knowledge?

“When things haven’t felt quite right, something in those three areas has been a little bit lacking,” she says.

Francis’s current role at Odele, a Minnesota-based hair products company, brings together all of her previous work experiences. For example, Francis starts her week by looking at syndicated data and sales figures, something she did regularly at General Mills. She works closely with the Operating Partners at Stride Consumer Partners—a role she understands well from her time at Tenth Avenue Holdings. She also brings in her agency expertise when she interacts with Odele’s integrated marketing partners.

In addition, joining the company as the first nonfounder member of the executive team has given her a unique opportunity to help scale the growing business.

“I think back to how people told me that I would never work at a brand again and how untrue that was,” she says. 

Looking back on her time at Tuck, Francis says the close-knit community and broad focus served her well. She loved managerial accounting and courses covering the supply chain, marketing, and leadership. Even math camp was one of her favorite weeks at Tuck.

“I loved the general management focus,” she recalls. “It just couldn’t have been a better curriculum for me.”

PIVOT TIP: “When I was thinking about what I wanted to do, I had this moment of paralysis. I realized that I just had to choose the next step where I could keep learning.”

This story originally appeared in print in the Summer 2025 issue of Tuck Today magazine.