This week has several executive shifts, Campbell Soup hires Diego Palmieri as CMO, Ace Hardware appoints Kim Lefko CMO VP and the managing director for Cannes Lions leaves parent company Ascential.

Campbell Appoints CMO Of US Meals And Beverages

The Campbell Soup Company announced Diego Palmieri as vice president and chief marketing officer of US meals and beverages, effective July 18, 2018. In this role, he will be responsible for all aspects of US marketing and consumer connection across the division’s portfolio of brands, including Campbell’s, Chunky, Well Yes!, Slow Kettle, Swanson, V8, Plum, Pace and Prego. Palmieri joins from SC Johnson, where performed various roles—almost half of them in marketing—for two decades.

“Diego has spent his career marketing and selling consumer products in the United States and abroad,” Campbell meals a beverages president Roberto Leopardi. “He is an accomplished marketer and experienced business leader with a track record of growing businesses through a deep understanding of brand value and success in building ecommerce into the marketing and sales mix.”

New CMO Finds Place At Ace Hardware

Kim Lefko has been appointed as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Ace Hardware. Lefko is tasked with leading the brand’s global marketing, advertising efforts and digital initiatives. Before joining Ace, Lefko served as chief marketing officer at Weber Stephen Products, maker of Weber grills.

In a statement, Ace Hardware president and CEO said: “We are excited to welcome Kim to Ace as our new SVP/chief marketing officer. In concert with her new team, Kim’s 20 years of results developing and advancing beloved consumer brands will further our local owners’ passion to fulfill Ace’s brand promise as the helpful place. I believe Kim will be a great addition to our leadership team.”

Cannes Lions Managing Director Exits

Jose Papa, who has been the managing director of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity since 2016, is departing from the role due to the festival’s parent company Ascential making the position redundant. It is believed that Ascential will retire the position of managing director entirely as Ascential CEO Phil Thomas, who was managing director before Papa took the post, takes over responsibilities.

Papa John’s Pizza Founder Resigns

John Schnatter, founder of the Papa John’s pizzeria, has stepped down as chairman of the board amid allegations that he used a racial slur during a conference call—an incident that led the MLB to suspend its promotional partnership with the restaurant chain. Papa John’s has accepted Schnatter’s resignation and will appoint a new chair.

Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group CEO Departs

John Amato, CEO of the New York-based Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group has resigned from his post. The announcement comes amid a period of restructuring from the company’s new owners Valence Media. Amato has served as co-president of the media company since 2014 and became CEO in 2017. The group owns music-oriented sites such as Spin, Vibe and Stereogum in addition to The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

Supermarket Group Chooses Marketing SVP

Retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. has appointed Erik Keptner to serve as its senior vice president of marketing. In this role, he will develop marketing and merchandizing strategies that build upon the company’s legacy of retail brands, which include ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer and Dearborn Market. Keptner previously worked as SVP of sales, merchandising and marketing for the Giant Food Stores division of Ahold Delhaize, and will officially move into his new position on July 9.

Effie Worldwide Announces New Board Members

Effie Worldwide has announced the elected positions of its 2019 Board of Directors, who will be tasked with overseeing and contributing to the nonprofit organization’s mission to lead, inspire and champion the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness. Appointees include UM global CEO Daryl Lee, who will enter the second half of his two-year term as Board Chair, while Ancestry EVP and CMO Vineet Mehra has been appointed chair-elect. Other appointments include Oath’s SVP of global partnerships Jack Bamberger and Red Fuse EVP Ellen Hyde Pace.

New members include Sam’s Club chief member officer Tony Rogers, IBM Greater China Group CMO Gill Zhou and Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School professor Bharat Anand.

Former CEO Becomes BigCommerce CMO

Austin-based cloud ecommerce platform BigCommerce named Lisa Pearson as chief marketing officer. She will lead the company’s global marketing organization by overseeing all aspects of brand and communications, product marketing, demand generation, customer acquisition and partner marketing. Most recently, Pearson served as CEO for data management platform Umbel.

“Lisa’s combination of CEO-level experience, deep ecommerce domain expertise and impeccable track record leading world-class marketing organizations made her uniquely qualified for this position,” said BigCommerce CEO Brent Bellm. “Her unrelenting, customer-first mentality directly reflects our values as a company, and I have the utmost confidence that Lisa’s approach to marketing will benefit our business, customers, employees and partners.”

Sony Pictures Changes Up International Marketing Leadership

Sony Pictures Entertainment has promoted Paul Noble to co-president of international marketing. He has led Sony’s international creative advertising since 2015 and most recently served as executive vice president.

Noble replaces Michael Horn, who announced that he is stepping down as president of international marketing after four years in the role. Horn has been involved with international campaigns for Blade Runner 2049, Spider-Man: Homecoming and  Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Most recently, he was involved with the promotion of Hotel Transylvania 3, which releases on July 13.

Viacom Promotes Bellator Marketing SVP

Viacom’s Bellator sports franchise has promoted David Schwarz to the newly created role of senior vice president of marketing and communications. Schwarz has been with Viacom for over 19 years, serving most recently as SVP of communications for the Paramount Network. In his new role, he will oversee the critical areas of Bellator’s development, which include consumer marketing, communications, social media, ticket sales and digital.

“David has a wealth of experience as a brand builder and will play a vital role in Bellator’s continued upward trajectory as a thriving global franchise,” said Bellator CEO and president Scott Coker.

Aviron Pictures Expands Executive Team

Aviron Pictures announced four executive appointments, including Jeff Elefterion as executive VP of creative marketing. Elefterion previously oversaw domestic marketing at New Regency, Miramax and the Weinstein Company for movies such as Birdman, The Revenant and Gone Girl. In his new role, he will execute domestic theatrical and home entertainment marketing campaigns.

Pernod Ricard Makes Executive Shifts

Darryn Hakof has been named global marketing director for Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Hakof has been with the Pernod Ricard Group for almost 20 years, and he will remain a member of the Pernod Ricard Winemakers Management Committee and a Better Balance ambassador, which promotes diversity and inclusiveness within the business. He replaces Anne Tremsal, who was appointed as marketing director of Ricard & Pernod based in Marseille.

Xplorie Names New Marketing VP

Vacation rental booking service Xplorie announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointment of Debi Steigerwald as vice president of marketing. Steigerwald previously served as the director of marketing operations for Vacasa, and she joins as Xplorie also grows its sales team.

CMO Joins Ebb Therapeutics

Medical device startup Ebb Therapeutics has appointed Elise Wilfinger as its chief marketing officer. In this position, Wilfinger will oversee brand strategy, positioning and narrative development, consumer demand generation, experience and adoption and all surround-sound marketing in addition to having strategic oversight for the company’s industry profile and reputation.

Tentsile Grows North American Market With Executive Appointments

Tentsile, the maker of portable treehouses, announced several appointments to its executive team as it continues to grow in the North American market. Among them is Kirstie Grego, who was promoted to global marketing director.

“As we grow, we need to ensure we have the right teams in place,” Alex Shirley-Smith, CEO and founder of Tentsile, said in a statement. “We are putting the right people in roles specific to their strengths to respond to consumer interest while at the same time fully supporting our retail partners in North America and beyond.”

Oprah Winfrey Joins Restaurant Business

Celebrity and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey announced that she has made an equity investment in the Phoenix, Arizona-based health food restaurant True Food Kitchen. The investment puts her on the brand’s board of directors, and she will act as a consultant. The move is in line with Winfrey’s personal health-conscious brand, and she currently owns about eight percent of the Weight Watchers franchise. True Food Kitchen is expected to double its business over the next three years thanks to Winfrey’s investment.

“I love bringing people together over a good meal,” Winfrey said in a statement. “When I first dined at True Food Kitchen, I was so impressed with the team’s passion for healthy eating and, of course, the delicious food, that I knew I wanted to be part of the company’s future.”

MillerCoors Marketing Officer Exits

David Kroll, who has served as MillerCoors’ chief marketing officer since 2015, is leaving to pursue “independent business interests” on July 27. Kroll joined the brewer in 2012, and as CMO, oversaw several campaigns during his time with the company, such as revitalizing Miller Lite’s Branding to take aim at competitor Bud Light.

“We will miss David’s passion for our brands, but I see this as an opportunity to get a fresh perspective across our portfolio,” CEO Gaven Hattersley wrote in the memo announcing Kroll’s departure.

Dolby Laboratories Appoints Lead Marketer

Audio and imaging technology company Dolby Laboratories announced the appointment of Todd Pendleton to the role of senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Before joining Dolby, Pendleton spent 15 years in marketing for Nike and is the former CMO of Samsung North America. Most recently, he was the head of his own marketing firm Defi/9.

“Todd’s experience, passion for Dolby and visionary leadership make him the ideal choice for our CMO role,” said Dolby President and CEO Kevin Yeaman in a statement. “I am excited about Todd’s passion and ability to accelerate our success as we continue to bring spectacular experiences to more people around the world.”

Automobili Pininfarina Names Board Appointees To Launch Luxury Car Portfolio

Munich-based startup car brand Automobili Pininfarina has assembled its Board of Directors, with Dan Connell taking the role of chief brand officer. Prior to joining Automobili Pininfarina, Connell was responsible for global marketing communications and PR strategy for Jaguar Land Rover. He has also handled public relations at Volkswagen, Mini and McLaren Automotive. The senior management team announcement comes as the company prepares to present its line of high-performance luxury electric cars.

“We have attracted some of the best automotive industry talent from all corners of the globe. Now this team is completely focused on delivering ground-breaking, highly desirable vehicles through a business strategy which will see Automobili Pininfarina become the most sustainable luxury automotive business in the world,” CEO Michael Perschke said in a statement.

Borden Dairy Expands Executive Team

Borden Dairy Company expanded its executive team with the appointment of Joe DePetrillo as chief marketing officer. DePetrillo has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, with his most recent role being VP of sales at Earthbound Farms. As Borden’s CMO, he will be responsible for creating and implementing a marketing strategy for the company. Borden also appointed Nick Suffredin as VP of research and development, and Brent Fowler as VP of operations.

“We are excited to welcome Joe, Nick, and Brent to Borden,” said CEO Tony Sarsam in a statement. “They are all fantastic additions to our growing leadership team. Together we will bring innovation back to Borden and create a new bright future for the company, the brand, and all our wonderful employees, as well as our amazing customers.”

Vivid Seats Appoints CMO To Elevate Fan Experiences

Online ticket marketplace Vivid Seats announced the appointment of Rich Lesperance as its new chief marketing officer. Lesperance will operate from the company’s Chicago headquarters to oversee the company’s brand and consumer engagement strategy, “leveraging data analytics to drive a diverse customer acquisition platform.”

“Rich brings a rare combination of experience driving significant growth for both household-name brands and fast-growing startups,” said Vivid Seats co-founder Jerry Bednyak. “Vivid Seats has grown substantially in recent years, and Rich’s talent and proven track record of accomplishments is precisely what we need to continue to deliver, and further elevate, the exceptional fan experiences that have fueled our success to date.”

Century 21 Stores Grow With Marketing Executive

The Century 21 off-price department store chain has hired Michael Kustermann as its newest chief marketing officer. Before joining Century 21 Stores, Kustermann helped to innovate customer experiences at Starbucks and Nespresso. His most recent position was as chief digital experience officer for Bose. In his new role, Kustermann is tasked with leading all marketing, creative and digital efforts, including ecommerce at Century 21 Stores.

B.GOOD Brings In New CMO To Promote Brand Message

Boston-based fast food restaurant chain B.GOOD has hired Brent Feldman as its chief marketing officer. Feldman worked in advertising for the foodservice segment prior to joining the company. At B.GOOD, a brand that emphasizes locally sourced food, he is charged with developing the chain’s brand image and awareness using fast and consistent marketing methods to increase its sales. That includes enhancing customers’ in-store experiences and spotlighting its supplier-partners in the communities where it operates.

B.GOOD CEO Chris Fuqua said, “We have big plans to expand the B.GOOD brand in the months and years ahead. This plan includes driving brand awareness by telling the B.GOOD story, really understanding our customers, innovating through menu and technology and building a culture that makes B.GOOD a fantastic place to work.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, July 13. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

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