This week in leadership updates, LG Electronics NA names a new head of marketing, Visa appoints Chris Newkirk as chief strategy officer, the University of Massachusetts Amherst names Claudia Donald as interim CMO, PayPal’s Allison Johnson steps down, New York Public Radio hires Ayesha Ahmad as CMO and Panera brings on Eduardo Luz as chief brand and concept officer.
LG Electronics North America Has A New Head Of Marketing
Peggy Ang will be replacing the retiring David VanderWaal as LG Electronics North America’s head of marketing. VanderWaal spent the last 13 years with LG and most recently served as SVP of marketing, a position he took in 2018.
Ang spent the past two years as division VP of brand marketing for mobile communications, LG Electronics USA. She joined LG back in 2016 as head of brand marketing for home appliances. Prior to her time at LG she held senior brand and marketing positions at Samsung and Sony Electronics, among others.
Visa Hires Chris Newkirk As Chief Strategy Officer
Effective June 15, Chris Newkirk will join Visa in the newly created role of chief strategy officer to drive strategy planning for the company overall.
Newkirk has held various leadership roles at Capital One since 2008. Most recently, he served as the president of Small Business, International & Walmart Partnership.
Prior to Capital One, Newkirk held leadership roles at IndyMac Bank and McKinsey & Company.
University Of Massachusetts Amherst Names Claudia Donald As Interim Chief Marketing Officer
UMass Amherst has named Claudia Donald as interim CMO. Since 2014, Donald has served as the university’s executive director of digital marketing and online communications.
In her new role, Donald will oversee the Marcom Group, which provides a suite of services including branding, advertising, web services and analytics.
PayPal Chief Marketing Officer Allison Johnson Steps Down
PayPal CMO Allison Johnson is stepping down due to the company’s current restructuring and streamlining of its marketing department under one cohesive function, as reported by Adweek.
Johnson joined PayPal in January 2019 after founding a marketing and venture capital studio called West. Johnson served as president of worldwide marketing communications for Apple from 2005 to 2011.
New York Public Radio Hires Ayesha Ahmad As Chief Marketing Officer
New York Public Radio, the parent company of radio stations WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, the Gothamist and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, has named Ayesha Ahmad as CMO.
Ahmad joins NY Public Radio from Chilewich, where she was chief digital officer and general manager of ecommerce.
Panera Bread Names Eduardo Luz As Chief Brand And Concept Officer
Panera has appointed Eduardo Luz as its new chief brand and concept officer. Luz joins Panera less than a year after becoming CEO of 8Greens and after six years as US CMO and global brand officer of Kraft Heinz.
Pearson Appoints Alexa Christon To CMO Position
Global learning company Pearson has promoted Alexa Christon to the role of chief marketing officer, effective immediately. Christon, who can be heard hosting the ADLANDIA podcast, served as SVP of brand for the past year.
Pearson’s press release announcing Christon’s new role notes her involvement in previous companies, including serving as “head of media innovation at GE, and guiding clients including Yahoo, Pepsi-Cola, and Time-Warner Cable while on the agency side.”