Rachael Schwartz
Head of Product for Built-in Cooking and digital leader across cooking at GE Appliances
Consumer Goods
Education: University of Pennsylvania BA - Wharton MBA
Louisville, KY, USA
Biography
For over two decades, Rachael Schwartz has been leading strategy, innovation, and product management in consumer products and consumer electronics with a focus on the intersection of digital technology and physical goods including Internet of Things (IoT) and voice innovation.
Rachael currently leads digital strategy for cooking at GE Appliances and is the Executive Director, Product for Built-in cooking. In those roles, she is responsible, not only for the end-to-end revenue and profitability for the wall oven, cooktop, and warming drawer line-up but also for envisioning and driving digital technology across GEA’s kitchen appliances.
Under Rachael’s direction, GEA has launched a “better with time” strategy in which the company is selling ovens and ranges with the promise of them getting better with time and rolling out proof points through over-the-air updates of new capabilities over time. These proof points have included launching new cook modes to hundreds of thousands of installed units including Airfry, turkey mode, and steakhouse mode, launching new digital delighters including wallpapers, sounds, fun facts, and recipes to those units, selling digital cooking modes and upgrades, and launching complementary connected products like a digital app-based meat probe. She is responsible for developing and implementing new digital first business models for GEA.
Prior to GEA, Rachael led strategy for Bose's consumer electronics division where she supported overall strategy as well as strategy related to Bose's new big endeavors including augmented reality ("Bose AR"), IoT/ smart home, and Bose Frames ("Sunglasses with a soundtrack"). Prior to Bose, Rachael was General Manager of Keurig Connect and VP Product Management, at Keurig, the leading single serve coffee brewing system, and numerous beverage brands including Green Mountain Coffee, Tully’s, and Timothy’s. Keurig Connect is Keurig’s Internet of Things program, providing consumers with enhanced beverage experiences enabled by a smart personal brewing system. She also started Keurig’s innovation program and its strategy group where she launched Keurig Kold beverage system and Campbell’s Soup k-cups.
Prior to Keurig, Rachael worked for several strategy consulting firms for 12 years, providing strategy consulting to innovation and R&D teams at large consumer products, foods and beverage, and financial services clients. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business in Strategic Management and Marketing and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Design of the Environment (architecture and design). She is based in Louisville, KY, where she lives with her husband and 2 sons.
She has spoken at numerous national conferences with a focus on IoT and digital transformation including CES, the IoT Consortium, and Innovation Leader. Her SXSW 2020 presentation was cancelled due to Covid. She is on the board of ANEWAY, a purpose-driven business, and Startfast, a Venture Accelerator and is open to new board roles at consumer facing companies.
Passion
I am passionate about using strategy and strong execution to help businesses thrive during digital disruption
Best Story
Transforming our everyday lives and how we get food on the table through digital and AI integration into our connected appliances
Origin Story
I started my career in marketing but quickly learned that disruptive innovation is what really gets me excited. I went back to Wharton for business school to get the qualifications needed to help companies disrupt their industries. After business school, I worked for 11 years in strategy consulting for Senior leaders of consumer products companies, specifically in the Innovation and new product development space.
In 2011, I went to Keurig Green Mountain, where I partnered with the Chief Innovation Officer to build the innovation department. We defined an innovation strategy and roadmap for the company, hired a terrific team, and developed internal NPD processes to support it. Our first product was Keurig Kold, our single serve cold soda machine where you can make a perfectly chilled and carbonated Coke or a flavored seltzer or pure-cane craft soda from a pod with a push of a button with no CO2 canister. Another innovation, Campbell's Soup k-cups also launched this Fall. Now the team is focused on leading Keurig into the IoT (Internet of Things) space to enhance the consumer experience and tighten our relationship with our consumer base.
I left Keurig in 2016 and joined Bose Corporation, where I had the opportunity to lead strategy for its consumer electronics division. Bose was doing some exciting work around creating new categories, staking a role in the AR (augmented reality) space, and building connected/ smart home solutions.
In 2020, I joined GE Appliances to continue digital transformation in the cooking category, both as the effective General Manager of Built-in cooking (wall ovens and cooktops) as well as the leader of digital strategy across cooking. I built the digital strategy and have been directing a digital team to develop over-the-air updates as well as directing the app, email, cloud, and social team to transform the consumer experience.
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
Everything is negotiable
Topics
Best Story
Transforming our everyday lives and how we get food on the table through digital and AI integration into our connected appliances
Origin Story
I started my career in marketing but quickly learned that disruptive innovation is what really gets me excited. I went back to Wharton for business school to get the qualifications needed to help companies disrupt their industries. After business school, I worked for 11 years in strategy consulting for Senior leaders of consumer products companies, specifically in the Innovation and new product development space.
In 2011, I went to Keurig Green Mountain, where I partnered with the Chief Innovation Officer to build the innovation department. We defined an innovation strategy and roadmap for the company, hired a terrific team, and developed internal NPD processes to support it. Our first product was Keurig Kold, our single serve cold soda machine where you can make a perfectly chilled and carbonated Coke or a flavored seltzer or pure-cane craft soda from a pod with a push of a button with no CO2 canister. Another innovation, Campbell's Soup k-cups also launched this Fall. Now the team is focused on leading Keurig into the IoT (Internet of Things) space to enhance the consumer experience and tighten our relationship with our consumer base.
I left Keurig in 2016 and joined Bose Corporation, where I had the opportunity to lead strategy for its consumer electronics division. Bose was doing some exciting work around creating new categories, staking a role in the AR (augmented reality) space, and building connected/ smart home solutions.
In 2020, I joined GE Appliances to continue digital transformation in the cooking category, both as the effective General Manager of Built-in cooking (wall ovens and cooktops) as well as the leader of digital strategy across cooking. I built the digital strategy and have been directing a digital team to develop over-the-air updates as well as directing the app, email, cloud, and social team to transform the consumer experience.