"Business as Unusual" with fmr. Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever

"Business as Unusual" with fmr. Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever

From How I Hire by Noto Group, Roy Notowitz

January 13, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

David Stever discusses his journey from tour guide to CEO of Ben & Jerry's and the lessons learned along the way.

David Stever is the former CEO and CMO of beloved ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s. David started with the company back in the early 80’s, working as a tour guide at their factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Over time, David ascended within Ben & Jerry’s, helping to grow the then start-up into an iconic, multinational corporation. Over the course of his decades-long career there, David led marketing initiatives, drove massive brand growth, expanded global market share, and helped facilitate reinvention and product innovation, all while keeping Ben & Jerry’s social mission front and center. He joins Roy to discuss his journey from tour guide to C-Suite, the many learnings he took from founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the profound effect of pursuing a triple bottom line, and much more.         Highlights from our conversation include:  David’s initial interest in the ice cream industry and how it evolved into his career (1:32) Working with Ben and Jerry in the early days (3:50) Leadership lessons learned through periods of massive growth and scaling (6:13) David’s strengths and keys to success as Ben & Jerry’s CMO (8:48)…

People in this episode

Host: Roy Notowitz

Guest: David Stever

Topics covered

  • business growth
  • leadership
  • marketing
  • social mission
  • career development

Keywords

  • Ben & Jerry's
  • C-Suite
  • triple bottom line
  • product innovation

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Ben & Jerry's

Books & works: Business as Unusual, How I Hire : Apple

Places: Waterbury, Vermont

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