Free Webinar

Change Management and RGM Excellence with Orkla

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RGM doesn’t fail on analysis. It fails when the organization can’t change how decisions get made.

RGM with Orkla

Most CPG organisations don’t struggle to find RGM opportunities. They struggle to get RGM adopted beyond a small expert group, embedded into day-to-day processes, and supported by leadership when trade-offs show up across functions.

This session tackles that implementation gap head-on. It frames RGM excellence as a change management problem: demystifying what will change, clarifying how it will change, and making the “why” tangible enough that teams stop treating RGM as an extra reporting layer and start using it as a cross-functional way of working.

What You'll Learn

Demystify RGM so execution stops stalling on definition debates. How Orkla translates “RGM” into a simple, shared language that functions can actually apply, rather than leaving it as a specialist label that nobody can explain.
Build change momentum without a central mandate. What it takes to drive consistency and capability across autonomous business units when you can’t push templates, frameworks, or “one way of working.”
Prevent analysis paralysis by standardising the few analyses that matter. How Orkla focuses on the 20% of core work that drives 80% of outcomes, so teams stop reinventing category views and start acting faster.
Make RGM relevant by starting with business questions, not RGM jargon. The questioning approach that gets local teams to engage, because it connects to how their brand, category, customer, and performance are actually trending.
Link strategy to execution through people, processes, and tools. Why Orkla sees the biggest impact only when capability, process integration, and tool scalability are developed together, not as isolated initiatives.

Meet the Speaker

Kaj-Dac Tam

Vice-President NRM Strategy at Orkla Group

Kaj is responsible for Orkla's Sales CoE, which drives the NRM Strategy, Processes, and Capabilities. As a commercial strategist and analyst, he focuses on identifying and capturing growth opportunities by solving problems through data-driven analysis to convert insights into lasting business results.

Session Highlights

RGM excellence is a change problem before it’s a lever problem.
Teams don’t resist “pricing” or “mix.” They resist uncertainty: what will change, how it will change, and why it matters. Until those barriers are addressed explicitly, RGM stays superficial and optional. [04:57]

Without a push mandate, relevance becomes the only real currency.
When local business units own their processes, a centre of excellence can’t force standardization. The work has to earn adoption by solving real business questions and improving daily decision-making. [04:10]

Demystifying RGM is not a comms exercise; it’s an execution prerequisite.
Kaj describes how many people have heard of RGM but can’t define it across functions. If teams can’t explain it clearly, they can’t apply it consistently, and RGM becomes “on top.” [06:35]

Stop boiling the ocean: standardize the few analyses that unlock action.
Orkla pushes a foundation of repeatable category and pricing analyses so teams stop reinventing category overviews and wasting time on inconsistent views. The goal is faster movement from insight to action, not prettier charts. [22:38]

RGM is cross-functional by design, which makes leadership sponsorship non-negotiable.
Because levers sit across sales, marketing, finance, procurement, and category roles, bottom-up adoption hits a ceiling. Change only becomes real when leadership allocates time, assigns ownership, and reinforces cross-functional working. [37:35]

Advanced analytics only accelerates impact after the basics are stable.
Kaj positions simulations and AI as accelerators, not substitutes for fundamentals. The sequence matters: build a shared baseline, then scale automation and predictive capability to remove manual friction and improve decision speed. [27:14]

Q&A

Should RGM be treated as an exact science or something more judgement-based?
Kaj frames it as a hybrid: the work relies on indicative, “averages-on-averages” analysis, but it should still be fact-based to strengthen commercial judgement and reduce risk. The point is not certainty; it’s improving the odds of making the right calls in highly competitive markets. [31:24]

Is demystifying RGM a one-time rollout or an ongoing objective?
Kaj’s view is that it can’t be a one-off workshop where “everyone now gets it.” Adoption takes time, reinforcement, and integration into processes, otherwise it quickly becomes “on top” again. [39:33]

How do you define “value creation” without turning it into a buzzword?
Kaj argues value depends on strategic intent and context, so it has to be explicitly linked to strategy (value, volume, profit) and reflected in execution. Typical business KPIs can include margins or share, but the core is alignment: execution must match the strategy being pursued. [33:28]

How should RGM adapt when macro conditions change and pricing stops working?
Kaj notes that in volatile periods, such as COVID, geopolitical shocks, fast inflation cycles, pricing alone becomes insufficient as shoppers become more price sensitive and downtrading accelerates. The response is broader mix management across product, pack sizes, promotions, and cross-functional collaboration, including procurement and brand investment. [35:07]

How do you make RGM embraced beyond the RGM team and into leadership and other functions?
Kaj’s answer is direct: you won’t drive RGM change without top-down buy-in because it is inherently cross-functional. The practical step is to make it tangible for each function through tools and questions tied to their daily decisions (portfolio choices, launch decisions, prioritization). [37:35]

What does “scale” look like in practice when every market claims it’s different?
Kaj describes scaling as identifying the common “core” analyses that are relevant across functions and standardizing them to remove double work and inconsistency. A major enabler is automation—moving away from manual Excel-to-PowerPoint workflows so teams spend time on actions, not formatting. [41:29]