G Spot lands in M&S last week. We sat down with CEO Kate Roskill to talk about her path into FMCG, the fight over the brand's name, and what it means to be one of the few non-private-label listings on M&S shelves.

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How did you end up at G Spot, and what made you say yes to becoming CEO?

"It's not necessarily a linear career anymore, is it, it's more of a wiggly one. I started in advertising and marketing, spending ten to fifteen years working across FMCG brands like Danone, Volvic and Sharwood's, alongside a whole suite of other brands too. When I left advertising, the industry was fragmenting fast, and I didn't want to be chasing a future I didn't believe in, so I moved into an innovation consultancy as MD, which also created Distill Ventures, Diageo's accelerator programme. That gave me years working directly with founders. From there I made a further shift to CEO of a luxury design studio called Toogood, working across interiors, fashion, furniture and art, where product and storytelling worked hand in hand. Then I met Gillian last year and had an immediate connection. Her values are so clear, and I was drawn to them personally before I was drawn to the business. Joining G Spot felt like the most incredible opportunity, a brand and product I genuinely believed in."

G Spot helps open up conversations about women's empowerment, beyond the drink itself. What does that actually look like in how you run the business?

"Encouraging females to take agency is really how we articulate it internally, and it has to be lived and breathed, otherwise it's just a marketing veneer. That shows up first in what Gillian has represented for thirty years, championing female advocacy, going back to the Scully effect and a movement of women in STEM. We still have people writing in saying Gillian helped them believe in themselves. We're also a majority-female-run company, myself, Gillian, and our executive chair Hector included, and that belief in each other carries through into how we talk to our customer too. We want people, women especially but not exclusively, to feel encouraged to take agency in their own lives, without it feeling worthy or like we're lecturing them. It has to feel bold, provocative and funny, because the moment you go into 'wordy' territory, people switch off. We're trying to build a brand people want to be part of because it feels good, energetic and alive, and that's genuinely how we run the company day to day as well."

You've had ads rejected and posts suppressed over the name. What's that taught you about the industry, or about your customers?

"We've been shadow-banned, personally and as a company, and we've been on a real journey understanding the restrictions around what we can and can't say. On one hand, we think it's ridiculous that certain words are still restricted, and we're not alone in that, plenty of companies are in the same boat. But what's been interesting is that most retailers and buyers are actually supportive of us using the name G Spot, it's genuinely never been a problem with the retailers we work with. So there's a real disconnect, between people saying they're supportive and meaning it, versus the compliance and regulatory frameworks that haven't caught up yet. That's going to take more than just us to fix, but we'll keep fighting our small part of it. It's also why I have so much respect for brands like Here We Flo pushing similar boundaries elsewhere on shelf."

Gillian became M&S's Chief Compliments Officer earlier this year. What's it been like building a relationship with a retailer that already has that connection to Gillian?

"Honestly, it's been the most incredible experience, genuinely, no pretence. Gillian was in a meeting with Stuart in her role as Chief Compliments Officer, happened to have a can of Lift with her because we drink it constantly, and ended up accidentally pitching him the product, telling him what it was and what it did. He told her they needed it in store. From that accidental pitch, we were meeting senior buyers within days, and the whole process from there to launch took about four months. Every single person we've worked with, from buying to operations to marketing, has moved heaven and earth to make this launch a success. When we were stuck on how to get chilled M&S products out to influencers for the launch, their marketing team just said, we've got a chilled van, we'll handle it. That's what a genuine partnership looks like."

Landing M&S feels like a big stamp of approval, especially at a retailer where private label makes up less than 1%. What does this mean for the business?

"We take that really seriously. Yes, we have a founder with a certain profile, but day to day we're a scrappy startup facing exactly the same challenges as any other scrappy startup out there. So when you get a win like this, you don't underestimate it, you take it seriously and you keep earning it. Getting on shelf is only the start of the process, the real work is making sure we do everything we can to drive rate of sale and prove we deserve to be there. It's genuinely an honour to be in that M&S stable, and we don't take that lightly."

Check out G Spot: Website - LinkedIn - Instagram

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