From Soup to the Stadium: Why HR Leaders Should Look Beyond Their Industry for Talent and Innovation
By Carsten Krause, October 17, 2024
In a surprising announcement that rippled through corporate America and sports media alike, Mark Clouse, the CEO of Campbell’s Soup, stepped away from his role to become President of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. For five years, Clouse was the driving force behind Campbell’s resurgence. He successfully revitalized its snack division, modernized its product portfolio with acquisitions like Rao’s premium pasta sauces, and led a strategy that repositioned the 150-year-old brand as a powerhouse in consumer packaged goods (CPG). Now, Clouse is trading Wall Street suits for NFL team jackets, taking the skills honed in boardrooms and brand turnarounds into the high-stakes world of professional sports.
While this move may seem unconventional, it highlights a broader trend HR leaders and executive recruiters cannot ignore: cross-industry hiring and fractional leadership unlocks innovation, operational excellence, and cost savings in talent-scarce markets.
It’s a wake-up call for organizations that still cling to rigid hiring practices prioritizing industry-specific experience over leadership qualities, adaptability, and strategic vision. As global industries—whether finance, pharma, tech, or sports—face mounting competition for elite leadership talent, companies that cast a wider net to recruit candidates from unrelated fields are seeing outsized returns.
I recently worked with the Campbell’s team on the technology strategy and built a business aligned technology roadmap supporting Mark Clouse’s and Campbells CIO vision. After successfully revamping Campbell’s snack division, acquiring Rao’s premium pasta sauces, and revitalizing an iconic brand, Clouse is now trading Wall Street suits for an NFL team jacket.
Lets dig deeper!
The Talent Challenge: Why Industry Silos Limit Growth
In highly competitive sectors—whether it’s finance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, or professional sports—the demand for seasoned professionals far outstrips the supply. Job posts in these fields often mandate strict “industry experience,” leaving talented leaders in other industries overlooked.
For example, candidates like fractional chief executive leaders at the CDO TIMES with deep expertise in digital transformation, data strategy, and AI—are often blocked from opportunities in finance or pharma CIO roles simply because of a lack of specific industry credentials. Despite proven success managing multimillion-dollar budgets, driving AI adoption, and delivering results across consumer goods and tech, the hiring default often favors candidates with “industry familiarity” over transferable skills.
It’s a missed opportunity.
Data proves it. According to LinkedIn, only 30% of companies actively recruit outside their industry bringing in external leaders and fractional executives, yet those that do are 1.7x more likely to report significant innovation. (Source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions)
Why Cross-Industry Leaders Offer Unique Value
Leaders from “less obvious” industries often bring invaluable skills and perspectives. Harvard Business Review highlights that leaders in sectors like utilities, manufacturing, or logistics excel at managing complexity, driving operations, and leading transformations under pressure—highly transferable skills for industries like finance or healthcare.
(Source: Harvard Business Review, “Why the Best Leaders Aren’t Always in Sexy Industries” https://hbr.org/2023/07/why-the-best-leaders-arent-always-in-sexy-industries)
| Key Skills | Source Industry | Transferrable Value |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Resilience | Manufacturing, Logistics | Crisis management, optimizing processes |
| Budget Leadership | Consumer Goods, CPG | Managing large-scale budgets efficiently |
| Transformation Leadership | Utilities, Retail | Driving strategic change in legacy environments |
| Stakeholder Engagement | Public Sector, Nonprofits | Connecting with teams, communities, and partners |
Real-World Leaders Breaking the Mold
Examples abound of executives making cross-industry moves to success:
- Mark Clouse
- From: CEO of Campbell’s Soup
- To: President of the Washington Commanders
- Value brought: Strategic brand transformation, stakeholder leadership, operational expertise.
- Deborah DiSanzo
- From: CEO of Philips Healthcare (Medical Devices)
- To: IBM Watson Health (AI and Data)
- Value brought: Bridging healthcare with AI strategy to drive healthcare transformation.
- Miguel Patricio
- From: Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev (CPG/Beer)
- To: CEO of Kraft Heinz
- Value brought: Leading large-scale global operations and rethinking customer engagement.
Candidates like these prove a key point: transferable skills are often more predictive of success than industry experience alone.
Another way to address the talent shortage is to leverage fractional executives from CDO TIMES that are readily available to join your team filling the gap, providing deep expertise and driving outside in innovation.
The Cost-Saving and Innovation Opportunity
By focusing on candidates from outside your industry, HR leaders can access talent pools with:
- Proven operational expertise
- Cost-effective compensation structures (compared to highly niche candidates)
- Fresh perspectives that spark innovation
A Glassdoor report highlights that leaders in manufacturing and logistics—sectors not seen as “glamorous”—often bring skills in crisis management and process optimization, critical for industries like finance, healthcare, and tech.
(Source: Glassdoor, “Best Skills from Overlooked Industries” https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/skills-in-demand-2023)
https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions
In fact, roles that traditionally favor “industry insiders,” such as CIO positions in finance, pharma, or medical, would benefit immensely from leaders with broader experiences. Executives who have managed large-scale digital transformation, enterprise architecture, and data strategies—even in consumer goods or tech—can seamlessly deliver results in new verticals.
Example Insight:
The digital transformation of Campbell’s snack division under Clouse’s leadership mirrors the data modernization challenges in finance or healthcare CIO roles. Yet hiring managers in those sectors often focus on familiarity with regulations or industry tools instead of evaluating broader competencies like leadership, adaptability, and innovation.
The Innovation Playbook: How HR Leaders Can Tap Untapped Talent
- Broaden Your Search Parameters
- Look for leaders outside your industry with success in complex operations, stakeholder engagement, and transformation.
- For instance, executives from manufacturing floors or retail networks may bring operational excellence to finance or healthcare.
- Prioritize Competencies Over Experience
- Assess for:
- Strategic vision: Aligning short-term goals with long-term results.
- Leadership: Managing teams and budgets under pressure.
- Adaptability: Thriving in rapidly evolving markets.
- Assess for:
- Offer Competitive Yet Reasonable Compensation
- Leaders from non-glamorous industries often view new roles as opportunities for impact and visibility. Structure attractive packages aligned with their markets to achieve cost efficiency.
- Sell the Opportunity
- Highlight:
- Career growth potential
- Visibility at the executive level
- Opportunity to drive meaningful innovation
- Highlight:
Final Take: From “Chicken Noodle” to Top Talent
In today’s competitive hiring landscape, sticking to the same industry playbook can leave your team short on skills, innovation, and resilience. Leaders like Mark Clouse demonstrate that the best talent doesn’t always come from within your industry—sometimes, the real game-changers are still waiting beyond your field.
For CIOs and executives aiming to transition into finance, healthcare, or pharma, the challenge lies in breaking through hiring biases. HR leaders must shift their focus toward transferable competencies and leadership DNA, which often predict success far more effectively than familiarity with a particular industry.
https://go.manpowergroup.com/hubfs/MPG_TS_2023_Infographic_FINAL.pdf
The CDO TIMES Bottom Line
In today’s fast-moving, talent-constrained market, companies cannot afford to overlook cross-industry talent. Mark Clouse’s unexpected leap from the CEO suite of Campbell’s Soup to the President’s office of the Washington Commanders exemplifies the value of transferable leadership skills—skills that transcend industries.
By focusing on candidate DNA, such as operational excellence, crisis management, and strategic transformation capabilities, HR leaders can overcome talent shortages, lower recruitment costs, and deliver measurable innovation.
The data proves it:
- Companies that hire outside their industry are 1.7x more likely to achieve significant innovation (Source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions).
- Cross-industry leaders bring fresh perspectives, reduce organizational blind spots, and often deliver superior results in new verticals.
For candidates like myself—leaders with proven experience in enterprise architecture, AI adoption, and digital transformation—cross-industry opportunities represent an untapped opportunity for growth. Unfortunately, industries like finance, pharma, and healthcare often default to hiring “insiders,” creating bottlenecks that limit innovation.
The solution? HR leaders must challenge the status quo:
- Broaden recruitment efforts to include untapped industries.
- Assess transferable competencies—strategic leadership, operational agility, and stakeholder engagement—over specific industry familiarity.
- Prioritize long-term value over short-term familiarity when evaluating talent.
In hiring, the best players aren’t always on the field—they’re often outside the stadium, waiting for the call. By shifting to a broader, skills-first recruitment strategy, companies can unlock innovation, attract top-tier talent at competitive costs, and future-proof their leadership teams.
Don’t play it safe. Be like Clouse. Scout for talent where others aren’t looking.
The hiring game isn’t just about the players on the field—it’s about scouting potential talent that others overlook. Don’t be a chicken noodle; start expanding your search for candidates who are mm…mm…good.
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