Name: Anna Watts
Title: Category Insights Manager
Company: Spectrum Brands
Certification: CPCA

1. How long have you or your company been involved with the CMA?

Watts: Spectrum Brands joined about 9 months ago to enhance our Category Management function within the company.

2. Why did you decide to become certified?

Watts: It was a goal of mine to take advantage of our membership and get certified to deepen my knowledge of Category Management and enhance my resume.

3. What was the most interesting thing you learned as you completed the training and certification?

Watts: I found it interesting to think about how overall retailer strategies and category roles within that context drive day-to-day Category Management.

4. How do you feel you will use this certification in your current role?

Watts: Certification gives you a structured, process-oriented framework to approach Category Management, which is helpful in ambiguous situations where the right decision isn’t always obvious.

5. What advice would you give someone considering completing the training and certification?

Watts: Certification is a great way to learn best practices in Category Management and it’s already helping me solve problems daily.