Beyond the Pour: Matt Burns, Director Partnerships
We strive to provide employees with the resources to develop their careers and explore new opportunities within the organization. Over the last nine years at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), Matt Burns, Director Partnerships, ascended through four roles ranging from category management to partnerships. Learn more about Matt’s interesting career path and the strategies he used to advance his career at KDP.
What does a day in your role look like?
The KDP Partnerships team manages the relationships that we have with more than 15 strategic Keurig® system partner brands – such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ and more. Our team is responsible for developing strong connections, executing on joint strategies, and delivering mutual value across all aspects of the partnership. In any given day, I get involved in multiple areas of the business and touch different departments – both internally at KDP and with the partner. It’s not unusual to go from one meeting that has a heavy supply chain focus, to the next that is focused on marketing initiatives, to one that is focused on holistic strategy and big ideas to drive future growth. A role on the Partnerships team involves a high level of cross-functional engagement.
Describe your career path. What brought you to your current role?
I have thoughtfully tried to take a “lattice” approach to career development. I have spent 15 years in the CPG industry: the first six years were with The Hershey Company, where I held various roles across sales and category management. In the last nine years with KDP, I have held roles in category management, away-from-home sales strategy, at-home commercialization and now the Partnerships team.
Can you share ways you have developed at KDP?
Having a career path that has taken me through four different departments at KDP thus far has given me exposure to many different areas of the business and allowed me to network with a large portion of the KDP organization. That varied experience and networking opportunity has been invaluable to my development and career success.
What do you enjoy most about KDP?
Without a doubt it is the people. I enjoy coming into the office and interacting with folks in person on a daily basis. Being able to laugh, smile, and leverage an informal setting to work through things with others live goes a long way. In addition to that aspect of personal interaction, the people at KDP are so knowledgeable and experienced. There is always something that you can learn from your peers that enables you to grow. Lastly, our KDP leaders are both extremely bright and approachable, which I find unique to KDP.
What is your favorite part of your role at KDP? Why?
My role allows me to get involved in some really fun, interesting and impactful long-term initiatives. Given the magnitude of some of our strategic partnerships, a small change can make an outsized impact on the business as a whole. It’s exciting to be at the vanguard of key projects that the organization is working on.
Interested in joining the KDP team? Visit our Careers page to find your next opportunity!