Episode #5
Ep 05: Unlocking Frozen Potential with Steve Challouma
What does it take to unlock potential in iconic brands and lead teams through uncertainty? In this energising episode of Uspire Unlocked, Amanda Downs sits down with Steve Challouma,senior commercial leader, former GM for Birds Eye UK & Ireland, and interim Marketing Director for Suntory Beverages (home of Lucozade and Ribena). Across three decades shaping some of Europe's best-known food brands, Steve traces his path from Unilever graduate to leading major transformations across multiple ownerships. He shares why staying at one company doesn't mean standing still and why delighting consumers and stewarding brand history anchor his leadership. He also shares how the Japanese principle of "Gemba", spending time where value is created, deepens empathy, fuels innovation, and keeps leaders relevant. Here are the highlights: 00:00 Intro: Meet Steve Challouma 01:30 Almost 30 years with one business: why Steve stayed 02:12 Three ownership phases: Unilever, Private Equity, Nomad Foods 04:08 The underrated power of frozen food and brand stewardship 07:07 Key career decisions, inflection points, and early sliding doors 15:21 Building high-performing teams and prioritising people over titles 16:00 Turning around declining brands at Birdseye 19:04 Execution over innovation in challenging times 19:48 Sales vs. Marketing: breaking down commercial silos 25:57 Staying externally connected, healthy marketing lifestyles 27:51 Evolving from knowledge-holder to orchestrator 31:01 Influential leaders: integrity, low ego, building belief in others 33:31 Steve's values: curiosity and kindness, and why clear is kind 36:47 The importance of culture, candour, and psychological safety 37:19 Guardian leadership and bringing Japanese principles to Suntory About The Uspire Partnership: The Uspire Partnership: Building the future of business The Uspire Partnership helps businesses evolve. From start-up, scale-up, to corporate growth, we build ecosystems that empower your organisation, elevate your leaders, and drive lasting transformation. Their collective of specialist brands build confidence, capability, capacity, and connection for companies across the full business lifecycle. Their family includes; Uspire – Leadership and commercial development designed to build capable leaders and high-performing teams Be Human – Empathy training helping organisations embed human connection into business Energise Partners – A growth and transformation partner for scaling businesses Business Doctors – Trusted advisors helping small businesses achieve their vision Together, The Uspire Partnership builds human-led solutions that unlock confidence, inspire growth and deliver lasting transformation. Connect with The Uspire Partnership: Website: www.theuspirepartnership.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uspire-ltd/ About Steve Challouma Steve Challouma is a senior commercial leader with nearly 30 years’ experience shaping and growing some of Europe’s most iconic food brands. As former CMO of Nomad Foods and General Manager of Birds Eye UK & Ireland, he led major brand, category and capability transformations across a €3bn business, steering household names like Birds Eye, Goodfella’s and Aunt Bessie’s through periods of significant change and sustained growth. A Fellow of both The Marketing Academy and The Marketing Society, Steve has built a reputation for combining sharp strategic thinking with a deep passion for consumer behaviour, brand building and modern marketing leadership. He is currently the Interim Marketing Director at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, where he leads the marketing organisation behind Lucozade, Ribena and Celsius, some of the UK’s most culturally resonant and fast moving brands. Across his career, Steve has been known for developing high performing teams, shaping strong marketing capability and driving long term commercial impact. His work continues to influence leaders and organisations across the industry.
