Partnering With Communities—And Your Competition

If you’re distilling Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen’s (MBA 2018) career into three words, they’d be sustainability, water and partnership. As a global water stewardship executive at PepsiCo, she knows the importance of bringing people together to tackle a global issue. Her career North Star has been creating access for water, and that has followed her to roles at Keurig, global nonprofit Water for People, and now PepsiCo. On this episode of the Voices of Experience podcast, the Daniels alumna shares how water access is being addressed on the global stage, gives a few keys to build strong partnerships and details how your personal and professional lives are more intertwined than you might realize.

Show Notes

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen is the sustainability senior manager of global water stewardship at PepsiCo. Her previous experience includes time at Keurig, global non-profit Water for People and Root Capital. She earned an MBA from the Daniels College of Business in 2018.

1:21 An entryway into sustainability and water
3:20 How PepsiCo approaches water stewardship
6:42 Partnering with your competition
8:33 Bringing the public and private sector together
“We bought a motorhome”
15:16 Lifelong friendships at Daniels
17:50 How to conduct business globally
22:20 An intertwined personal and professional life
24:44 Show notes and credits

In this episode:

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen’s LinkedIn
PepsiCo’s water initiatives homepage
Daniels Blog: Professionals at Play
World Health Organization report on water
Professional MBA program at Daniels

Online extra: How do you bring specific solutions to a giant challenge like water access?

VOE Podcast · How do you bring specific solutions to a giant challenge like water access?

Transcript

Nick Greenhalgh
Today on the Voices of Experience podcast: If you’re distilling Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen’s career into three words, they’d be sustainability, water and partnership. As a Global Water Stewardship executive at PepsiCo, she knows the importance of bringing people together to tackle a global issue.

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Water is a shared resource, the challenges that are shared, you have to think about how are you coming together with other parties to actually solve some of these challenges.

Nick Greenhalgh
Cote-Jenssen’s North Star has been creating access for water, and that has flowed with her to roles at Keurig, global nonprofit Water for People, and now PepsiCo. The Daniels alumna also knows a good partnership when she sees it. But they don’t always work out as planned.

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
If you cannot find that shared objective, it’s time to walk away because you are not going to be able to successfully move forward.

Nick Greenhalgh
On this episode of the VOE podcast, we look at how water access is being addressed on the global stage, give you a few keys to build strong partnerships and share how your personal and professional lives are more intertwined than you might realize. Mary Beth, welcome to the show!

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Thanks for having me.

Nick Greenhalgh
I want to jump in and look at your career over the last decade. You’ve had a focus on sustainability, and specifically on water that has marked each of your job experiences. What sparked that interest for you in your career?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah, interesting place to start. And in some ways I think that water found me. I mean, even when I moved into agricultural finance a few years ago, I really thought water was going to kind of become a footnote in my career, but it really has remained ever present. You were absolutely right. And for me, water is fundamental to all life. So it seemed pretty early on to me that didn’t matter if kids had access to education or farmers to financing or even new economic opportunities for women if they didn’t have access to water, safe drinking water or irrigation, if that was what was needed for their livelihood.

And then thinking along the lines of irrigation, if that water used for that purpose of then depleting the water levels and ultimately impacting drinking water access, it just pretty early on seemed to me this was the critical foundation for all other things. So quite early in my career when I was at Keurig, we had a portfolio of really diverse social and environmental programs. And eventually it grew large enough that there was some need to specialize within the team. So I had the opportunity to actually decide, okay, what aspects across this portfolio of activities do I actually want to focus on? And it seemed so clear to me that water was the top priority among everything else. And as you noted, it has clearly stuck with me.

Nick Greenhalgh
I want to look macro at what has sort of guided your career and bring a little data into our conversation here. So a report from the World Health Organization found that over 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries and quote, “Which is expected to be exacerbated in some regions as a result of climate change and population growth.” And we’ll link that full report in our show notes for those that want to know more. So my question for you is what is PepsiCo doing on its end to address this ever-present issue?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah. So PepsiCo, like a lot of companies, we have a suite of sustainability goals. For us, it’s defined under our PepsiCo positive agenda. And so of course this includes a lineup of water goals. One of those goals is focused on safe water access. So the company is committed to delivering safe water access to 100 million people by 2030. So that’s the very specific goal. How that’s achieved, this is really a joint foundation and company effort, and it’s executed through a strategy that’s focused on what we call distribution, purification and conservation. I mentioned this because the goal is about more than just the kind of initial thought that comes to mind of, “Is there literally water that someone can drink?” So this goal is about safe water access, right? So water quality is quite an important component. And then frankly, to have reliable water access. It’s not just about the water coming out of the tap and the infrastructure that gets it there, but where is that water originating from? Where is that actual initial water resource?

So locally what this looks like for example, in West Bengal and in Maharashtra in India, the foundation is partnered with WaterAid and they’re working across 50 different villages to improve not just household water access, but reliability of that water access as well. And so across those villages, the work looks like restoration of existing piped water supplies where they already are in place, but maybe need some repairs or installation of new water supplies. And then along with it, adding metered household connections.

To give a little bit of contrast, if we look at South Africa in partnership with WWF, that project there is really about spring protection. So again, getting back at that variety of ways in which progress against this kind of goal can and in many ways should be made locally to really touch on all aspects of water access, I think is quite key. Especially as you talk about some of these issues and this water sanitation and hygiene are not only an existing challenge but expected to be getting worse in the face of climate change.

Nick Greenhalgh
And I appreciate you going a little deeper on what safe water access looks like. I think it provides important context there. And so while the beverage industry is highly competitive, and I might be making a controversial statement here, sustainability seems like something that shouldn’t be quite as competitive. Does PepsiCo work with competitors or others in the space and share best practices?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
So first, you’re in good company because I fully accept and accept no controversy in your statement whatsoever. And in short, 100%. Yes, we work with competitors, other companies, other organizations on this effort. Water risks, they’re felt by many. They rarely impact any one company in isolation. So our peers, our competitors, they’re facing some of the exact same challenges that we are. So why would we not work together? Conveniently, many of them also have prioritized water stewardship. So there is another area of shared interest. And so because water is a shared resource, the challenges that are shared, you have to think about how are you coming together with other parties to actually solve some of these challenges, mitigate the risks that so many of us are facing.

And so specifically you ask about working with other companies. There are great coalitions and industry collaboratives that can help companies engage in this way, including PepsiCo, and they can help the private sector really organize itself and ultimately go beyond that very classic one-to-one kind of partnership and project model that so very many of us are used to.

Nick Greenhalgh
Very cool. Let’s keep going on that theme because your career also has an era of partnership in it. So in between your time at Keurig and PepsiCo, you spent five years at global nonprofit Water For People working with local governments, businesses, and individuals to bring clean water and sanitation systems to their communities. How can the public and private sector collaborate to address this worldwide issue in ways that are different than we just talked about?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah, I mean this cross sector collaboration that I think is really the only way we can resolve some of these challenges. And water not only is a shared resource, but it is a very local issue as well. You cannot come to the table with global solutions to affect a single watershed. It just doesn’t work that way. And so that absolutely requires different kinds of partners to come together, different kinds of initiatives to be established.

And so starting by identifying what is the shared objective across the different stakeholders, across public and private sector actors, that is step one. And frankly, if you cannot find that shared objective, it’s time to walk away because you are not going to be able to successfully move forward. But if you have that shared objective, then it’s really about complementary skill sets, networks, areas of expertise, and then you can design that path forward towards that shared objective, that collective vision. And ultimately it takes successful examples like this water fund to get some of those who might be sitting on the fence to come to the table and join the conversation and maybe step up and actually engage as well.

Nick Greenhalgh
We dove deep on your career and focus on water. I want to take a slight turn here. I saw in your LinkedIn profile that you took a travel sabbatical that ended right when COVID-19 struck. Where did you go? What did you do?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah, I did. Gosh. And first, what an incredible opportunity to be able to take such a break and have this kind of opportunity. So what did I do? Well with lots of planning, my spouse and I, we sold our home, we quit our jobs and we bought a motor home for full-time living and traveling. And you mentioned the pandemic. I mean, little did we know we were about a year ahead of this amazing motor home trend that came to be. And so it was funny because I’ve been so fortunate in my career. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many remote places around the globe, but frankly hadn’t had as many adventures at home. So this was a real opportunity to visit family and friends that we hadn’t seen in years, to hike in parks we’d never been to, and to have a little bit of a break. And the motor home offered the most flexible way to do that. So yeah, that is what we did for that travel sabbatical.

Nick Greenhalgh
Did you have a favorite location?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
There were two favorite locations. I had never been to Acadia National Park before up in Maine. Acadia is amazing. I cannot recommend it enough. I mean, you have the ocean, the mountains. I mean, you just have a little bit of everything. So that was the favorite. The other one, Virginia knows how to do state parks really well. They had some amazing parks, and I would say Grayson Highlands State Park was probably the favorite in Virginia. That was a real surprise of the places we went.

Nick Greenhalgh
There you go, a hidden gem. What did you learn either about yourself or about your journey thus far in that 10 month travel period?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah, so maybe a little bit of context. I was one year out from having graduated from DU. And the program was structured I was going to school at night and working full time. So very immediately I learned that I had no idea how to relax. I did not know how to not have external deadlines and tasks driving my every action. So maybe a bit silly, but had to figure out how to adjust to a different pace of life, really be in the moment. So, enjoyed reading a lot more than I had in prior recent years. Hiked a lot, but you’re probably getting at something a little bit maybe bigger than that. So maybe once I figured out how to take a deep breath, the bigger lesson I learned really I think, was to look at life more holistically and a bit of the realization that there isn’t this work life and here’s this home life over here. There’s just life.

And it was really up to me to figure out how I prioritize all the different aspects of my life. And this came after a decade into my career after completing grad school and I’d spent that decade being very holistically career focused, which was quite rewarding and quite invigorating. But I found that I didn’t really know what came next. I didn’t have those thoughts pulled together. And so something like this time traveling, gosh, it gives you a whole new perspective. It really helps you look at do you need a shift, do you stay the course? And so when it came time for me to go back to working full time, yes, quite inconveniently again, just as COVID was shutting everything down, I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew how I wanted the pieces to fit together and what this life holistically could and for me should look like.

Nick Greenhalgh
Thank you for sharing. I think there’s some really great lessons in there. You mentioned too that you graduated with an MBA degree from Daniels in 2018. I read on our blog that you formed an inseparable bond with some of your classmates. What brought you all together?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Yeah. The first aspect I did sort of touch on, I was part of what was called the professional MBA program. So that meant that the majority of our cohort was working full-time while attending class at night. And I mean no matter what, that kind of an experience, that kind of a challenge, that bonds you no matter what. But what it really was, true, what an incredible opportunity. I mean, the network and the friendships formed. And many of my classmates have said that this, and I fully agree, is one of the most valuable aspects of the program, is that network, those connections. And it was really largely the women in my cohort. We put in the effort to get together outside of class. So in addition to all of the projects and schoolworks and work pressures and travels and everything else going on, making the priority for a happy hour or a birthday party, whatever that might be. To give you a little bit of a break, a little bit of a connection.

And that continued after graduation as well. We kept that up, including during the pandemic scheduling Zoom calls like everyone else to keep that connection alive. And ultimately, this is a group of really impressive, accomplished, compassionate women that I respect and I would not hesitate to call on. And I found this to be true when we all entered the program. And as you rightly pointed out, that was 2018. So five years on, absolutely, this is true today. I don’t live in Colorado anymore. And I would still say this is true. I mean, classmates don’t hesitate to call on one another during a job hunt or a life challenge. Whatever it is that comes up, we have that group to lean on.

Nick Greenhalgh
That’s great to hear. And we’ll break the fourth wall here on the VOE podcast. I’m also part of the professional MBA here at Daniels, so I know exactly what you’re talking about and think you described it perfectly.

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
It’s a special kind of experience that’s for sure.

Nick Greenhalgh
I’m going to rest my voice here and let’s kick it to a student question.

Emma Nault
Hi there, my name is Emma Nault and I’m currently in the Daniels PMBA program as part of Cohort 33. In several of our PMBA classes we’ve discussed some of the barriers to conducting business internationally. Specifically, we’ve discussed U.S. companies and how they account for varying ethical standards from country to country. In your experience with PepsiCo’s efforts in global water stewardship, have you ever encountered resistance to implementing more thorough water use standards in other countries? If so, how did PepsiCo respond to this feedback?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Gosh, what a thoughtful and complicated question. I love it. And I hear another PMBA student as well, so going through the thick of that challenging experience. So yeah, conducting business internationally. I have always worked at international organizations, and so not just varying ethical standards, but regulations, culture, approach to business, language, all of it comes into play. And I’ve seen it across a variety of different sectors. Now, the very specific question was around ethical standards as a potential barrier for doing more when it comes to water stewardship. And I am so incredibly grateful to be able to say that at PepsiCo, our sustainability goals, our water stewardship goals are set at the global level. They have full leadership support, including from the CEO. And so whether or not we move ahead with achieving the kind of water related impact isn’t really the question that comes up for us.

And again, fully recognize what a privilege to be able to say that because I know that is not true at every organization. That said, how you achieve it, that is where those really interesting questions come into play. And I don’t have, gratefully again, good examples of there being ethical conundrums or tensions around how we might achieve these goals. I think it’s similar to what I said previously about finding that shared objective. And I show up to conversations with my colleagues across the goal with that shared objective from the start. And in many ways, my role is to be a guide and is to be a support. And so where we might not have full alignment and full agreement, I work to build that relationship to share my knowledge and expertise, to share resources that can help guide making the best decision for that local team.

And the other thing that I think is really quite critical is to remember my own perspective. I sit in the United States, very specifically today in the Northeastern U.S. I am a woman. I have worked in water for to some extent, more than a decade. And I don’t know what the right answer is for exactly the kind of initiative or the kinds of partnerships that are best for a watershed on another continent, let alone on the west coast of the United States. So I think showing up in that authentic way, bringing that expertise, starting with that shared objective so that you know at least you’re rowing in the same direction, but then having that compassion and that humility to recognize you might think this is different and not the best way to go about it, but you might not know what the best way is to solve some of these challenges. And those colleagues in other countries, they might actually have an even better answer and better perspective than you could come up with.

Nick Greenhalgh
Great. And thank you to Emma for that question. Let’s wrap up here with a question that we ask all of our guests here on the Voices of Experience podcast. So as a voice of experience, what is one last additional thing you’d like to share with our listeners?

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
So this is the high stakes moment where I’m supposed to say something lasting and profound, right?

Nick Greenhalgh
No cliches either.

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Your work life and your personal life, they’re much more intertwined than we may realize, or frankly than we may like. And success in one area really often is an enabler of success in other areas. And I’ve seen this play out very tangibly for myself through the relationships that I’ve worked to build and to maintain. And in the workplace, it’s so easy to see a meeting or a conversation as maybe it’s a necessary activity to move you toward the next step, but you’re engaging with those other people because you can’t actually move forward alone.

And so we talk about networking. There’s trainings on networking, but very specifically for me, it’s about those individual relationships and how critical they are to building your life, to building your career, and in ways that you very often in the moment don’t even realize, frankly. And so being thoughtful, not just about people you have as let’s say, mentors, but those that you have regular casual interactions with. How you show up as a whole person and see them in that way as well, engage with others in that way, that can be really transformative in ways that you might never even fathom in the moment. So yeah, I guess I’ll leave that as my concluding thought or comment to share. That for me has really been, yes, along with water, quite a common and influential thread.

Nick Greenhalgh
Fantastic. Well, thank you very much Mary Beth. We really appreciate you coming on the show today.

Mary Beth Cote-Jenssen
Thanks for having me.

Nick Greenhalgh
If you want to hear a bonus clip from Mary Beth on what it takes to bring specific solutions to a giant challenge like water access, be sure to head to our show notes. We’ll also share more detail on the water initiatives mentioned in this episode and that story of Mary Beth’s time at Daniels. You can find those show notes and past episodes at daniels.du.edu/voe-podcast. The VOE Podcast is an extension of Voices of Experience, the signature speaker series at the Daniels College of Business, sponsored by U.S. Bank. Sophia Holt is our sound engineer. Joshua Muetzel wrote our theme. I’m Nick Greenhalgh and we’ll talk again soon.

Partnering With Communities—And Your Competition

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Online extra: How do you bring specific solutions to a giant challenge like water access?

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