As the Chief Marketing Officer for Mars Wrigley North America, Gabrielle Wesley leads a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, exemplifying how Black women can thrive in the C-suite.
Originally born on the south side of Chicago, Wesley expressed during the AFROTECH 2024 conference panel discussion, “Fueling Ambition For Women On The Rise,” that her desire to join marketing started after watching the 1992 film “Boomerang,” starring Eddie Murphy and Robin Givens.
“When I saw people who looked like me doing marketing, doing advertising, leading big brands, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Wesley’s first job was as an intern in financial services at Northern Trust. While there, she met a woman named Jackie, who became her mentor for her confidence, leadership, and her way to command a room. After the internship, Wesley held roles in brand management at both food and beverage corporations, General Mills and ConAgra. With 20 years of experience, Wesley has managed a variety of brands, including M&Ms, Snickers, Cheerios, Pillsbury, Private Label Snacks, and more. However, with her eyes set on her dream job from an early age, Wesley encourages aspiring leaders that “the blueprint” to success is not always the answer.
“I was a good kid growing up. Following the rules, I did all the things. Then you go to college, you get the internship, you land the first job, etc. People tell you that you follow this career path. In order to get to where you want to be, you follow this blueprint, and that is what I did. But, if I had a magic wand, I would abolish the career path.”
She continued, “Because I noticed that the people that were getting promoted and getting the opportunities, did not follow the career path. So I stopped and said, ‘Hey, wait, they didn’t follow the career path. So why am I?’ Freeing you from the career path allows you to explore experiences, develop new things, and challenge the passions that you have. With that, you can be extraordinary at what it is that you love.”
Letting go of a singular career trajectory can open doors to new possibilities, ultimately expanding your impact as a leader. While navigating the shift away from traditional professional practices, it’s important to give yourself permission to fail forward. As the conversation deepened, Wesley shared with attendees that failure is an inherent part of true success, especially as you redefine the rules of your future career.
“I learned as a leader that it’s not really about failure; it’s about how you respond to failure. I often tell my teams a lot that I don’t care if things or projects don’t work. I care about what you learned from what didn’t work, right? So, for me, I have an innovation graveyard of things that I have tried in every part of my career. Things that are still quite raw from my early days to things that are not working right now. But the key is about what I learned from it. A lot of inspiration still comes from failure.”
