Masterclass in mismanagement - Brand Manager Russell Stover Employee Review

If you’re looking for a company stuck in the 1990s both culturally and operationally, Russell Stover is it. Senior leadership thrives on reactive decision-making, constant fire drills, and a complete lack of long-term vision. Projects are routinely under-resourced, rushed, and riddled with conflicting priorities — essentially set up to fail from the start. Brand managers aren’t actually empowered to build brands. You’ll spend your time as a glorified project coordinator patching together broken processes, chasing artwork approvals, and cleaning up packaging errors instead of driving strategy or growth. On top of that, far more time is wasted formatting internal presentations than delivering meaningful work that impacts the business. Culture is siloed, hierarchical, and paralyzed by politics. “Cross-functional collaboration” means endless meetings where nothing gets decided. Recognition is rare, burnout is constant, and the best talent leaves quickly. Office politics are rampant, and optics matter more than outcomes — learning to suck up to the biggest title in the room will take you farther than being the smartest person in the room. Most concerning: I was routinely asked to inflate numbers and misrepresent profitability to “sell in” projects internally. It crossed every ethical boundary I’ve ever seen in business and directly conflicts with standard practices in CPG. In addition: pay is below market rate, and the environment is WILDLY toxic. Bottom line: Working here taught me exactly how not to run a business. If you value your career, integrity, or sanity, steer clear.