General Mills has a new global chief marketing officer in Ivan Pollard, who will be filling the top marketing executive void left by Ann Simonds when she left the company last December.

Pollard was previously the senior vice president of strategic marketing for Coca-Cola North America, where he used data to help the soft-drinks maker efficiently spend $2 billion a year on advertising.

The hiring of Pollard will likely shift the General Mills’ focus toward more e-commerce and digital marketing tactics.

“I was drawn to General Mills by their beloved brands and the quality of their marketing talent, but I decided to join because of the good I see them doing in the world and the untapped opportunities I see for business growth. I’m excited to be part of their next chapter,” said Pollard.

Pollard will now be tasked with establishing General Mills’ first global marketing and media planning function for brands like Cheerios, Annie’s, Nature Valley and Pillsbury.

One of the areas of focus for Pollard will likely be overseeing the Yoplait brand, too, which contributed to company’s overall sales falling throughout last year.

But yogurt was not the only product mishap in the past year for General Mills. In May, the company dropped the Tiny Toast brand, an unsuccessful offshoot of the popular Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

Pollard will begin his post on July 10 and report to CEO Jeff Harmening.

“Ivan’s diverse global experience brings us a fresh perspective on our brands and a deep understanding of how to operationalize integrated, modern marketing in the digital age,” said Harmening. “We have tremendous opportunities to unlock global growth by improving the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and our teams are eager to build on the work they have started.”

Campbell Soup hired Matt Pritchard to be vice president of its digital acceleration group, a division created in November to move the company toward digital personalization.

Pritchard previously worked on Kellogg’s European digital strategy and operations. Now he is tasked with handling Campbell’s online search capabilities and in-store messages to customers.

Apple has tapped two of Sony Pictures Television’s top executives, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, to run its video programming.

“We have exciting plans in store for customers and can’t wait for them to bring their expertise to Apple,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services.

Fox Television Group promoted Shannon Ryan to chief marketing officer, and Darren Schillace to executive vice president of marketing.

Ryan was previously in charge of creative services, special operations and experimental marketing across Fox. Schillace used to be senior vice president of marketing at ABC Entertainment.

NBC Universal hired Laura Lee as executive vice president of content, strategy and operations of NBCU Digital Enterprises. The former YouTube executive will now oversee partnerships with Snap, Vox Media and BuzzFeed.

“Laura’s deep experience in the digital space will be a great asset as we continue to create new monetization and premium content opportunities across NBCUniversal and expand our partnerships with new media and technology companies,” said Maggie Suniewick, president of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises.

Entertainment Studios has hired Dick Roberts as executive vice president of marketing and creative services. Roberts formally served as vice president of marketing and creative services for Sony Pictures.

“Dick’s extensive marketing talents and experience make him the perfect addition to the Entertainment Studios team as we continue to grow our global media company and invest in premium content,” said Entertainment Studios CEO Byron Allen, per Deadline.

Nike is expected to cut 1,400 jobs from its global workforce during what they’re describing as “a new company alignment.” The strategy, called “consumer direct offense,” will push for more one-to-one customer experiences. Nike president Trevor Edwards also plans to consolidate the company’s market geography structure from six regions to four.

Jonathan Goldsmith, best known as the “Most Interesting Man in the World,” is no longer the pitchman for beer brand Dos Equis, but he’s still staying thirsty, my friends, with tequila. Goldsmith is now the face and spokesman for Astral Tequila’s marketing and advertising campaigns.

Mars has tapped Sandeep Dadlani as their new chief digital officer and George Corbin as chief digital demand officer. Dadlani is now responsible for leading Mars’ digital transformation agenda, while Corbin will be incorporating e-commerce and digital businesses into the company.

“Digital is changing the way our consumers and customers experience our products and services. New expectations, competition, distribution channels and opportunities present themselves every day. As we use digital capability to transform our business, we’re delighted that Sandeep Dadlani and George Corbin will bring their depth of expertise in this area,” said Mars CEO and president Grant F. Reid.

AMC and SundanceTV have hired Justin Manfredi as senior vice president of marketing. Manfredi was previously the global senior director of digital marketing for Activision.

Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant Taco John’s is bringing Jimmy Orr as their new director of digital strategy. Orr, formerly of the LA Times, will be responsible for boosting Taco John’s online presence and creating digital campaigns.

Taco John’s also hired Tom Meyer as vice president of marketing for the brand. Meyer was previously the account director for KFC’s largest co-op and director of marketing for Del Taco.

USA Today Network hired award-winning journalist Robin Amer to launch an investigative podcast series for the network.

“The resurgence of podcasting has opened up a new avenue for innovative storytelling,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, USA Today’s chief transformation officer. “This addition combines our award-winning investigative journalism with exciting tune-in entertainment.”

Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick has resigned from the company following a series of negative PR reports for the ridesharing company in recent months.

“I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,” said Kalanick.

Media platform Yahoo Esports, a media arm of Yahoo Sports, will no longer be updated, effective June 16. The move comes after Verizon acquired Yahoo and the creation of Oath, a new subsidiary combining the two company’s online assets.

“As Yahoo Sports becomes part of Oath, they are focusing on aligning with the new company strategy and are focused on growing the Yahoo Sports brand,” said Travis Gafford, Yahoo’s head of esports media.

Dustee Jenkins has stepped down as Target’s chief communications officer. She spent seven years at the big box retailer.

Clarivate Analytics announced that Julia Mair is joining the Philadelphia-based company as its new CMO.

(Editor’s Note: This post will be updated daily until Friday, June 23. Have a new hire tip? Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.)

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