Employee Spotlight - James Seidl

James Seidl loves to learn. In more than seven years at McCormick, he’s had plenty of opportunities to do just that, his drive and curiosity constantly pushing for growth and inspired ideas. Not surprisingly, about a year ago he found himself in a brand-new role tasked with developing new capabilities. As general manager of digital commerce, his job today is to grow McCormick’s e-commerce and direct-to-consumer channels. 

“Here at McCormick we define innovation as new products, certainly, but the concept of innovation also applies to business process improvement or how we get the work done,” he says. “In digital commerce, getting the right combination of products, marketing support, and internal capabilities, have been some of the ways in which we are developing the business.” 

James and his team are paving the way for the future, transforming how McCormick goes to market and priming a new area for growth. 

“This is just such a fast-paced, innovative space, and it’s changing our category in a lot of ways,” he says. “Looking at trends and online-sales forecasts for the next five years, what we’re doing is creating a whole new growth opportunity for the company.”

In addition to leading innovation on the digital side of the business, James is helping McCormick break new ground also in its inclusion efforts. He’s a founding member of PRISM, our LGBTQ employee ambassador group, and an avid promoter of education on LGBTQ issues. Like other employee ambassador groups, PRISM works for the broader purpose of creating a welcoming, supportive environment that encourages all McCormick employees to bring their full selves to work. 

“As a business leader I want the best and brightest and need everyone’s full minds,” says James, articulating the business imperative of an inclusive workplace. “Being able to make a difference, hearing from leadership that this is important, and leaning in on making the right changes because it’s the right thing to do for all employees – that’s been a good lesson for me. It’s not just about making this place a great place to work today. It’s also about laying the groundwork for the next generation of McCormick employees, and to me that has been a really important contribution that PRISM has made to this organization.”

Not to be defined by professional or civic pursuits alone (he also serves on the board of Moveable Feast, an organization that provides meals to people living with HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases), James makes a point to find time for yet another, more personal passion: Flying. That’s right, James is a private pilot, and he says this is just another manifestation of his lifelong love of learning, another way to “sharpen the saw.” 

We can’t say whether flying planes is what keeps James sharp, inquisitive, and fearless, but we do know McCormick couldn’t be prouder to have a leader like him on board.