• by Lisa Singer , Staff Writer, March 14, 2024

Central Garden & Pet’s Katia Colston talks about building relationships, changing the narrative, and why perfection is overrated. 

I've had the opportunity to connect with and learn from executives of major brands at MediaPost's Insider Summits. In the process I've discovered some truly impressive women -- not only for the work they do, but their stories behind the scenes. With Brand Insider: BTS, I get to pull back the curtain on some of the most influential women marketers as they talk about their path to success: the twists and turns, obstacles, inspirations and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

“Transitioning from that little young girl in Havana, I've always dreamed of having a career and working. I was passionate about it, but…people would laugh at me, laugh it off, saying my best bet was to marry into such aspirations, but I wanted to leave a mark.” And Katia Colston certainly has left her mark. On her own at the age of 15, the now vp of ecommerce sales at Central Garden & Pet left Cuba with a dream of building a career in the U.S., something she now describes as an “out-of-body experience.” In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Katia admits her early years in the traditionally male-dominated CPG industry were challenging, but also believes it’s why today she’s driven to help other women follow their own career journeys. You can watch the entire conversation here: