The best career moves follow meaning, not just momentum.
Mark Edmonson, Chief Marketing Officer at Newman's Own, has spent his career building brands across P&G, Campbell's, Henkel, and Materne. Now his role spans marketing, innovation, and R&D. 100% of the profits from product sales go toward helping children facing adversity.
In this conversation, Mark shares why he learned to follow meaning as much as momentum, how growing up on a farm shaped the way he makes big decisions, and what changes when a business is designed from the start to give itself away.
Wellth: Tell us a bit about your role, and what excites you most about it.
As Chief Marketing Officer at Newman’s Own, I have the privilege of helping steward one of the most distinctive brands in consumer packaged goods. My role spans brand strategy, research and development, innovation, consumer engagement, retail storytelling, and the many ways we bring our purpose to life.
Owning R&D makes the work especially meaningful because the promise of Newman’s Own cannot live only in our messaging — it has to show up in the food itself, in what we make, how it tastes, and how it earns a place in people’s homes.
Wellth: What’s one money move that helped you get here?
One of the best “money moves” I made was learning to follow meaning as much as momentum. Career growth often comes from saying yes to bigger responsibilities, but the most important moves are the ones that bring your values along with you.
For me, that meant building a career across creativity, strategy, commercial execution, innovation, and leadership — while continuing to look for work that felt connected to something larger than a business result.
Wellth: Who was the first person in your world you told about the new role, and what was their reaction?
The first person I wanted to tell was my husband, Michael. He knows better than anyone what the work means to me, and he also knows how much I care about building things that have purpose behind them. With four children under four, how I spend my time matters in a very real way. His reaction was pride, but also a clear understanding of why this opportunity felt different.
Wellth: When you’re faced with a big decision, how do you create the space to think it through?
I try to get close to the facts, but also close to the truth underneath them. The numbers matter, the strategy matters, and the commercial implications matter — but so do the people affected by the decision and the purpose it serves.
I grew up on a farm, so I have always had a deep respect for patience, practicality, and the idea that good outcomes are usually the result of steady work over time. When I am making a big decision, I try to step out of the noise, listen carefully, pressure-test the options, and come back to the simplest question: does this move us closer to who we say we are?
Wellth: What’s one value or principle that guides you in your career?
Purpose should be more than a promise; it should be a practice. Paul Newman did not build a brand around generosity because it was a trend. He chose to give it all away because he believed business could be used in service of something bigger.
That principle guides how I think about leadership as well. Be clear about what you stand for, be generous with credit, be honest about the work, and make decisions that can hold up not just financially, but morally and humanly.
Wellth: How do you celebrate your wins, whether big or small?
I try to celebrate wins by pausing long enough to recognize the people who made them possible. The best work rarely belongs to one person, and I think leaders have a responsibility to make the team feel seen.
At home, celebration is often much simpler and much better — a quiet moment with Michael, a messy dinner, or being pulled back into the joyful chaos of four little kids. Those moments keep success in perspective.
Wellth: What advice would you give someone looking to follow a similar path?
Build range, stay curious, and do not separate ambition from values. The strongest careers are not built only by chasing the next title; they are built by learning how to create value in different rooms, with different people, on problems that matter.
When you find work that asks a lot of you and gives something real back to the world, take it seriously. Those opportunities are rare.
