For Natalie Shpiegel, it starts with learning how to adapt.
Born in Israel, she spent much of her childhood moving every two years. Her father worked for Motorola, and the family relocated often. She lived in Toulouse, France. Scottsdale, Arizona. Austin, Texas. Seoul, South Korea. Beijing, China.
At 14, she moved back to Israel.
Those early years shaped how she sees the world. And how she leads.
“When you grow up changing countries that often, you learn how to read a room fast,” Shpiegel says. “You learn how to listen first. You learn how to adjust.”
Today, she is the Director of Sales and Marketing at RIGID Industries. Her career spans brand marketing, operations, and large-scale program management. But the thread running through it all is simple: growth through smart execution.
Shpiegel describes her childhood as both exciting and grounding.
Each move meant a new school. A new language. A new culture.
“You don’t get comfortable for long,” she says. “You figure out how to build relationships quickly. That’s a skill I still use every day.”
After returning to Israel as a teenager, she finished high school at Maagan Michael. She later earned a BA in Economics and Business Management from Tel Aviv University.
She knew she wanted to work in business. But she also wanted range.
That desire led her to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she earned her MBA.
“Kellogg helped me think bigger,” she says. “It pushed me to connect strategy with execution.”
Shpiegel began her career at Miller Coors, now Molson Coors.
She worked as a Marketing Manager on the Blue Moon brand. Later, she became Project Manager for Saint Archer Gold.
Brand marketing gave her a strong foundation.
She learned how products are positioned. How campaigns are built. How teams align around growth goals.
“Blue Moon was about protecting and growing an established brand,” she says. “Saint Archer Gold was different. It was about building something new and figuring out product-market fit.”
She saw both sides of the equation. Defend the core. Test the edge.
That mix would define her career.
After brand marketing, Shpiegel shifted into program management at Redfin.
It was a big change.
Instead of focusing on brand voice and campaigns, she was managing systems, teams, and cross-functional projects.
She became a Program Manager and later a Manager of Program Management.
“Real estate is complex,” she says. “You’re dealing with agents, customers, technology, and local markets all at once.”
At Redfin, she worked on scaling processes. Improving coordination. Driving consistency across regions.
It was here that her ability to “learn new industries quickly,” as she puts it, became a strength.
“I like walking into an industry I don’t know well,” she says. “You ask better questions when you’re not stuck in old assumptions.”
Shpiegel later joined Carvana as Associate Director, focusing on Market Operations, Carvana’s the Last Mile Division.
Carvana operates at speed. It blends logistics, customer experience, and digital platforms.
Her role required both strategic thinking and hands-on problem solving.
“Last mile is where the brand promise meets reality,” she says. “If the car shows up late or the experience feels off, nothing else matters.”
She worked on market-level execution. Team alignment. Operational improvements.
This phase deepened her understanding of turnaround environments and fast-scaling models.
“High-growth companies are messy,” she says. “You can’t wait for perfect conditions. You build structure while moving.”
Today, Shpiegel serves as Director of Sales and Marketing at RIGID Industries.
The role brings together everything she has done before. Brand. Operations. Growth. Cross-functional leadership.
She leads teams focused on growth strategy, brand development, and customer engagement.
“Sales and marketing can’t operate in silos,” she says. “They have to move as one engine.”
Her approach is practical.
She focuses on clear goals. Clean execution. Feedback loops.
“RIGID required a deep look inwards at what made the brand what it was, and what it lost along the way” she says. “We had to redefine the brand mission and build it back from first principles.”
Across every role, Shpiegel emphasizes adaptability.
Her career moves show a pattern. Marketing to operations. Established brands to scaling companies. One industry to another.
She calls it a “holistic background.”
“I never wanted to be boxed into one lane,” she says. “Understanding the full system makes you a better leader.”
Colleagues describe her as calm under pressure. Structured in chaos. Comfortable learning fast.
That mindset traces back to her childhood.
“When you’ve changed countries six times before high school, change doesn’t scare you,” she says.
Outside of work, Shpiegel stays active.
She skis and snowboards. She travels as often as she can.
She is also a self-described foodie.
“Food is one of the best ways to understand a culture,” she says. “I’ve moved around my whole life. That curiosity never left.”
She is a mother of three and says family remains central.
“No matter how busy work gets, family keeps you grounded,” she says.
Shpiegel’s career reflects a broader trend in business.
Leaders today are not defined by one function. They are defined by range.
They move between marketing and operations. Between strategy and execution. Between industries.
They scale systems. They fix gaps. They build alignment.
“At the end of the day, it’s about impact,” Shpiegel says. “Are you helping the business grow? Are you building something that lasts?”
From global childhood to boardroom leadership, her path has not been linear.
But it has been consistent.
Adapt fast. Learn quickly. Build systems that scale.
And keep moving forward.
Read more:
Natalie Shpiegel: A Global Mindset, Built to Scale
