Andi Nicholas
Senior brand manager
Carlsberg Britvic
Andi Nicholas swapped FMCG startups for big business in 2019, becoming brand manager for 7UP and R White’s at drinks giant Carlsberg Britvic.
A year working on Pepsi followed, before she was promoted to her current role as senior brand manager for Aqua Libra. Hailed by her nominator for demonstrating “standout commercial and creative leadership”, Nicholas has grown the Aqua Libra brand by 600% in three years. She is credited with driving a strategic shift to digital commerce, delivering a 120% year-on-year increase in retail sales value.
Nicholas led on Aqua Libra’s refresh and landed 2024’s ‘For Goodness Sake’ campaign, which boosted proximity return on sales by 20%.
Looking back to when she started out, Nicholas admits she had “no idea” just how fast paced an FMCG career would be.
“The opportunity to capitalise on an innovation trend, or even a cultural moment, is finite in 2026 and if you aren’t primed to jump with social media channels at the ready, or a process-flexible team of go-getters eager to bring a new flavour to market, you will lose out to your nearest and dearest competitors,” she explains.
“The fast-paced nature of digital culture is forcing the bigger corporate FMCG brands to push forward with their gut, releasing the shackles of rounds of consumer insight.”
“Know your P&Ls and learn how to create compelling performance narratives with
external data.”
This need for speed has seen Nicholas explore new channels, notably social commerce. She is credited with establishing TikTok Shop as a viable commercial platform, with monthly retail sales value “outperforming” some of the UK’s top four grocers.
On the flipside, one of the biggest challenges she notes is achieving mass reach in a fragmented world. While penetration is “king and queen” in FMCG, Nicholas questions how marketing teams on tight budgets can reach the masses efficiently in a digitally native world “overloaded” with channels and segments.
“We need to find that authentic higher order consumer insight that feels fresh and compelling enough to be picked up by the masses to share again and again, over years to come,” she states.
Thinking ahead, Nicholas believes the need for brands to craft authentic identities will drive demand for in-house content and she can see a time where teams will include content creators.
While a love of creativity and curiosity about consumers inspires many aspiring marketers to join the industry, Nicholas advises new recruits to get their “commercial house in order”.
“Know your P&Ls and learn how to create compelling performance narratives with external data,” she advises.
“If you have this in your day-to-day, you’ll work through these elements quickly and give yourself real time to think creatively and strategically, and get the best outcomes for your brands.”
