Consumer brands hire me when growth has stalled and the next move isn't obvious.
I've run the P&L and led the team. So the strategy I build is one your organization can actually execute — and I stay until it's working.
What I do
LEADERSHIP
Fractional and interim CMO
I run your marketing function — setting the strategy, leading the team, and owning the number — for as long as you need a CMO rather than a hire. It fits a transition, a gap, or a stretch when the business needs more than it can justify hiring.
GROWTH
Category, pricing and growth strategy
I find where your growth actually is, what you should charge for it, and which parts of the portfolio deserve the investment. The answer usually sits in the category and the P&L rather than in the marketing plan.
INNOVATION
Innovation and new business building
I find what you should build next, prove it out in a business case, and take it through to launch. That might be a new product, a new category, or a business that doesn't exist yet.
AI
AI-enabled operations
I identify where AI removes real work from the business, where it's a distraction, and what's genuinely worth building. Smaller builds I handle directly; for larger ones I bring in Zenith AGI to assemble the stack.
TEAMS
Building marketing teams
I build the structure, develop the people, and set the standard for how decisions get made. It's often the most valuable thing I leave behind when an engagement ends.
$290MM
P&L led as CMO
#1
performing P&G brand
25 years
in consumer brands
$16.8MM
raised for a client
Categories I’ve worked in
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Newman's Own · organicgirl · a leading organic food brand · a Fortune 500 food service division
BEAUTY & GROOMING
Gillette · CoverGirl · Olay · Clairol · Fekkai
ORAL & PERSONAL CARE
Oral-B · Crest · Pantene · Head & Shoulders · Ruby Love · a $380MM personal and baby care brand
HOUSEHOLD & BATTERIES
Duracell · Mr. Clean Car Wash · Tide Dry Cleaners
Start with the problem, not the service.
Most of these conversations begin with something that isn't working rather than a line item on a menu. Let’s discuss what's going on.
Nicole Malcolm-Manyara, Principal & FounderNicole Malcolm-Manyara
I spent more than twenty years inside some of the world's most respected consumer brands—from Procter & Gamble and Duracell to organicgirl and Newman's Own—leading brands, growing businesses, managing P&Ls, and helping organizations find their next chapter of growth.
I've always been drawn to strategy, but I've learned that even the best strategy has no value until it's brought to life. Consumers don't experience strategy—they experience products, brands, packaging, retail shelves, advertising, digital experiences, and every interaction in between. That's why I love partnering with teams from defining the opportunity all the way through execution, making sure the work not only launches, but delivers the business results it was designed to achieve.
I started AG Brands because I wanted to bring everything I've learned—and continue to learn—to ambitious companies that are ready to grow. Rather than handing over recommendations and walking away, I work alongside leadership teams to solve meaningful business challenges, build stronger brands, unlock new opportunities, and help organizations execute with confidence. I intentionally partner with a small number of companies at a time so I can stay close to the business and create lasting impact.
Wharton graduate. Stanford MBA. Based in Stamford, Connecticut.
Questions I get asked
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Usually a day or two a week, inside the business rather than alongside it, with real ownership of the strategy, the team, and the plan. Engagements tend to run three to twelve months. Often the best outcome is that the company grows into a full-time CMO, and I'll help you find and onboard that person when the time comes.
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With them, nearly always. In my experience a team that's struggling is more often missing structure, clarity, or an agreed way of making decisions than it is missing talent. Working out which of those it is tends to be one of the first things we do together.
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It depends on scope and cadence, so I'd rather talk it through and give you a real number than post a range that won't fit your situation. In general, a fractional arrangement costs meaningfully less than a full-time hire and asks for a lighter commitment on both sides.
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Some of them, yes. A number of my clients prefer not to be named publicly and I gladly respect that — I'd extend you the same discretion. I'm always happy to walk through the shape of comparable work in a conversation, in more detail than I can put on a website.
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I keep the number of engagements small so each one gets real attention, so it depends on what's already underway. Typically a few weeks, and I'll always be straightforward with you about timing rather than promising a date I can't hold.
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Then we talk about it openly and decide together. I'd rather close an engagement early than carry one that isn't delivering for you, and I've made that call before. Nobody is well served by a retainer that's lost its purpose.
How I scale
AG Brands is deliberately small and works with a wide range of strategic partners. When an engagement needs more than one person, I bring in the right partners.
Simpactful is a consultancy founded by former P&G leaders. They’re brought in when an engagement calls for a broader or cross-functional team.
Zenith AGI is my technology partner on larger AI builds. We assemble the stack and build bespoke pieces where nothing off the shelf fits.
Let’s talk about your business.
I work with a small number of companies at a time. Bring me the problem you keep circling back to, and you'll leave the conversation with a point of view on it.