2026 State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report
The Intentional Organization: Key Findings from the State of the Industry Report
Making people decisions before you are forced to.
Key Findings from the 2026 Report
40
%
of VP/Director-level leaders see significant team capability gaps — vs. just 18% of CEOs.
48
%
of high-growth brands increased their use of fractional or interim talent in the past year.
450
+
executives, founders, and C-suite leaders surveyed across 6 consumer categories.
3
critical themes that predict whether organizations build with confidence or play catch-up.
About this report
Conducted in May 2026 across hundreds of leaders in food, beverage, beauty, wellness, pet, and cannabis. This research reveals the people decisions and organizational signals that determine which brands grow and which stall. The webinar goes deeper on the three patterns that matter most.
What the Webinar Covers
1. The Readiness Gap: Org Alignment
CEOs and operators are reading the same organization through fundamentally different lenses. When leaders at different levels disagree on team readiness, that disagreement is itself the signal and the source of most future execution problems. Learn how to find and close it before a hire forces the issue.
2. Building Conditions for Leadership Success: Onboarding Setup
Most companies spend extraordinary energy finding the right person and almost none defining the conditions for their success. The data shows that when new executives struggle, it's rarely about capability. It's about clarity: on mandates, decision rights, and what success actually looks like in the first 90 days.
3. Rethinking Workforce Design: Talent Strategy
The strongest growth-stage brands aren't asking "who should we hire?" They're asking "what capability do we need, and what model gets us there?" Fractional executives, interim leaders, and flexible workplace strategies are now strategic levers, not fallbacks. See how leading brands are using them to build faster.
Download the State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report
Download the full State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report to discover the leadership gaps, hiring challenges, and talent strategies shaping consumer brands in 2026.