Andrea Thomas

Brainstormer, Business leader, Change Agent, Idea generator, Marketer, Parent

I love to learn why people do what they do and what things would help them make their life better. I came to Walmart because it is a place that helps a lot of people have better lives. The scale of the business creates amazing opportunity and interesting complexity. It can also become a means to influence real change. If you want more "official" information about me, by bio follows. Andrea B. Thomas is senior vice president of Private Brands for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. She leads the brand management, product development, and co-manufacturing activities for the multi-billion portfolio of private brands in the grocery, dry goods, health & beauty, pharmacy and pet categories. Theses brands include Great Value, Sam’s Choice, Equate, and Ol’ Roy. Prior to joining Wal-Mart in October 2007, Thomas was vice president, Global Innovation of The Hershey Company. In this role, Thomas was responsible for platform innovation for Hershey’s portfolio of global brands including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, and IceBreakers. She led the work that identifies new platform opportunities for growth, based on consumer and marketplace trends and insights, translating them into sustainable product and partnership ideas that deliver profitable growth. She was instrumental in the development of Cacao Reserve by Hershey’s, the Starbucks line of Premium Chocolate launching in early 2008, and the Hershey entry strategy for India. Previously, Thomas was vice president, Innovation at Frito-Lay, Inc. In this position, she was responsible for managing Frito-Lay’s salty snack innovation pipeline, creating over $1 billion in new product platforms. Prior to this role, Thomas served as vice president, Retail Marketing and Promotions at Frito-Lay, and led the marketing efforts for the Fritos and Tostitos brands, including the launch of Tostitos Scoops and the sponsorships of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the Daytona 500. Prior to joining Frito-Lay, she was director, New Product Marketing, at Pizza Hut, Inc. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in business administration from Brigham Young University, where she was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Societies. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah; Thomas lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband and three children. She serves on the National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University and was named one of the Top 25 Global Champions of Innovation by BusinessWeek Magazine in 2006.

This is my first year at TED. I love mind-expanding experiences, which I am expecting at this year's conference. People who are passionate about changing the world inspire me. I hope to meet many inspiring people at the conference this year.