This week in leadership updates, NBCUniversal promotes Linda Yaccarino to chairperson of global advertising and partnerships, Yum! Brands appoints Lauren Hobart to its board of directors, Blaze Pizza names Vince Szwajkowski as CMO, Qdoba hires Jeannie Cho as CMO, Virgin global chief brand officer Lisa Thomas steps down, Dalila Wilson-Scott accepts a promotion as Comcast’s executive VP and chief diversity officer and more.


NBCUniversal Promotes Linda Yaccarino To Chairperson Of Global Advertising And Partnerships

According to a press release, Linda Yaccarino has been elevated to NBCUniversal’s chairperson of global advertising and partnerships.

Yaccarino adds data strategy unit, local and regional sports network sales and cross-company strategic initiatives to her purview, in addition to global and national sales.

Since joining NBCUniversal in 2011, Yaccarino has led the growth of the company’s advertising sales efforts to a $10 billion-plus business annually.

The news follows NBCUniversal’s fusion of linear and digital assets as one platform and the launch of Peacock earlier this year.


Yum! Brands Appoints Lauren Hobart To Board Of Directors

Yum! Brands Inc. has appointed Lauren Hobart, president of Dick’s Sporting Goods, to its board of directors, effective November 12.

Hobart first joined Dick’s in 2011 and has held leadership roles including executive vice president, chief customer and digital officer and chief marketing officer. She has been president of Dick’s since 2017.

Prior to joining Dick’s, Hobart spent 14 years at PepsiCo in various strategic planning and marketing roles.


Blaze Pizza Names Vince Szwajkowski As Chief Marketing Officer

Blaze Pizza has announced the appointment of Vince Szwajkowski to CMO.

Before joining Blaze, Szwajkowski served as CMO for ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters, where he built and launched the new ArcLight brand platform.


Qdoba Hires Jeannie Cho As Chief Marketing Officer

Qdoba has named Jeannie Cho as its CMO.

Most recently, Cho served as the vice president of marketing of PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay portfolio. Prior to that, she was vice president of marketing, global brands, namely Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos.


Comcast Promotes Dalila Wilson-Scott To Executive Vice President And Chief Diversity Officer

Dalila Wilson-Scott has accepted a promotion as Comcast’s executive VP and chief diversity officer, reports Variety.

Wilson-Scott will continue to head up the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation and the company’s community impact initiatives, which she has since joining Comcast.

Prior to joining Comcast, Wilson-Scott worked for over 15 years at JPMorgan Chase as head of global philanthropy and president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.


Icahn Automotive Names Deborah Brundage As Chief Marketing Officer

Icahn Automotives, the parent company of Pep Boys, has hired Deborah Brundage as CMO.

In her new role, Brundage will direct the company’s marketing and customer experience strategies, with a strong focus on consumer insights and digital engagement.

Brundage comes to Icahn Automotives from Monro Inc., where she served as CMO. Prior to Monro, she spent nearly 17 years at Procter & Gamble.