This week’s executive moves include a new chief marketing officer for Citi, a marketing VP for Civilized, Avon continues its brand rejuvenation with a VP of global fragrance hire, Mamamia snags a Foxtel veteran as its new marketing director and Mount Sinai places its faith in a new marketing executive.

Also, Rakuten promoting for CMO and Forbes reinventing its marketing approach. We saw SPI/FilmBox appoint its first CMO, Yale welcomes Spotify’s former chief marketing officer on campus, Collective Medical appoints a CMO, Roostify names a marketing chief and Airbnb’s former chief marketing officer creates his own brand. Pinterest’s first chief marketing officer, Twitter hires a marketing executive to connect brands with community groups and the Asia Marketing Foundation appoints a president.

Check out our careers section for executive job openings and to post your own staffing needs.

Citi Appoints Toys ‘R’ Us Veteran As Chief Brand Officer

Carla Hassan will join Citi as chief brand officer later this month. Hassan previously served as chief marketing officer for Toys ‘R’ Us. She succeeds Dermot Boden, who left the company early this year. Prior to her role at Toys ‘R’ Us, Hassan ran branding and marketing for PepsiCo’s Global Beverage Group.

“This position is central to our efforts to bring Citi’s mission of enabling growth and economic progress to life through our marketing and sponsorship efforts and leveraging them internally as well as externally,” Ed Skyler, executive vice president of global public affairs told colleagues in a memo made available to AList. “This work has helped to rebuild trust and revitalize the Citi brand, which has grown faster than any other financial services company since its re-launch in 2012. I am confident that Carla is the right person to continue to help move our brand forward, working collaboratively with our colleagues in Global Consumer Marketing and in our institutional businesses.”


Former Spotify CMO Becomes Yale Executive-in-Residence

Seth Farbman, former Spotify chief marketing officer, has named executive-in-residence at Yale School of Management. Farbman exited Spotify in September amid a reshuffling of the marketing team. In his new role, Farbman will be embedded in the life of the school, regularly sharing his expertise with students, and offering a glimpse into the experience of a senior executive.


Civilized Nabs Hennessy Veteran As Marketing VP

Cannabis lifestyle media brand Civilized has named Elisabeth Baron its new vice president of marketing. Baron brings over 20 years of experience that includes head marketing roles at Diageo, Omnichannel and LVMH Möet Hennessy USA, where she relaunched the Hennessy brand with “Never Stop. Never Settle.” Baron was also formerly VP of marketing at Stillhouse Spirits Co.

“Elisabeth is a senior marketing professional at the top of her game,” says Derek Riedle, publisher of Civilized. “She’ll be guiding our marketing team with expertise and strategy as we break into new regions with new activations. With her leadership, we’ll be bringing branded, cannabis-culture campaigns to our audiences that they won’t forget.”


Avon Names VP Of Global Fragrance

Tatiana Piccolo has been named Avon’s new vice president of global fragrance. Her experience spans nearly two decades, having served in regional and global roles for Natura.

Piccolo will report to newly hired James Thompson, who joined Avon as chief beauty and brand officer November 1. He said of the hire: “This is a new era for Avon’s brand and product marketing as we inject new talent, unleash existing talent and overhaul our approach. Tatiana brings invaluable experience of growing market share in key categories and geographies and I’m delighted that she is joining the team at this pivotal moment.”


Mamamia Hires Foxtel Exec As Group Marketing Director

Female-focused media brand Mamamia has named Rob Farmer as group director of marketing and partner solutions. Farmer joins the brand from sports TV network Foxtel, where he served as marketing director for six years.

In this new role, Farmer will head B2B and B2C marketing, research and insight, in-house design and commercial content solutions for partners across Mamamia, Social Squad and any new ventures.


Mount Sinai Health Systems Names Marketing Exec

Mount Sinai Health System has hired David A. Feinberg as SVP and chief marketing and communications officer. Feinberg brings more than 30 years of consumer and healthcare marketing experience. Feinberg was most recently CMO for tghe Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Joining the senior leadership team, Feinberg will provide strategic guidance for all traditional and digital marketing, communications, and branding efforts for all seven hospitals under Mount Sinai.


Rakuten Promotes For Chief Marketing Officer

Japanese ecommerce giant Rakuten has appointed Naho Kono to the new position of chief marketing officer. Kono has served at Rakuten for over 15 years, most recently as managing executive officer and president of ecommerce. Her continued success in the company has set an example for other Japanese women. She was the first female to be appointed to the executive officer at Rakuten and the youngest female to achieve this position.


Forbes Expands Marketing Role

Forbes announced that it is “re-imagining” marketing under its CMO, Tom Davis. In addition to his chief marketing officer duties, Davis will be responsible for the diversification of the company’s revenue base with an emphasis on full-funnel marketing and lead generation for marketers.

A global, mobile-first product will be unveiled in the coming weeks under Davis’ leadership that “leverages Forbes’ vast premium video content that celebrates entrepreneurial capitalism.”


FilmBox Names First Chief Marketing Officer

SPI International, the parent company of OTT service FilmBox, has named Haymi Behar to the role of chief marketing officer. Behar most recently served as VP of digital media and sales at Dogan Media, where he helped launch BLUTV—the largest OTT service in Turkey.

In his new role, Behar will be responsible for advancing SPI’s brand reputation across all platforms, strategic communications, media planning and buying, media relations and publicity.

Speaking of the new appointment, Berk Uziyel, SPI CEO, said: “SPI continues to invest in valuable talent to achieve our ambitious international business goals. We are excited that Haymi is bringing his marketing and digital experience as our business is becoming increasingly global reaching over 55 million subscribers. Haymi has been a pioneer in building brands in media, his collaborative and energetic style will contribute to the brand’s reputation and our strategic growth.”


Collective Medical Appoints CMO

Care collaboration network Collective Medical has named Kat McDavitt as chief marketing officer. McDavitt joins the company from her own communications firm, Insenna Communications. Prior to that, she held a number of strategic communication roles within the healthcare industry.

As CMO, McDavitt will facilitate the rapid growth of the Collective Network across all points of care by raising awareness among caregivers.


Roostify Names Chief Marketing Officer

Lending provider Roostify has appointed Courtney Keating Chakerun as its new chief marketing officer. Chakerun previously served as SVP of marketing and innovation at CoreLogic, preceded by over a decade of leadership roles at GE.

“As Roostify advances along the growth trajectory powered by our world-class customers and emphasis on digital innovation, strong and focused marketing leadership is imperative to position ourselves for continued success,” said Rajesh Bhat, CEO of Roostify. “Courtney’s extensive leadership experience, marketing prowess and proven track record of driving growth will be great assets to Roostify, and we’re excited to welcome her to the company.”


Former Airbnb CMO Launches TwentyFirstCenturyBrand

Jonathan Mildenhall, former CMO of Airbnb, has officially launched his own marketing consultancy firm with Alexandra Dimiziani and Neil Barrie. Mildenhall served four years as CMO of Airbnb. Mildenhall says the mission of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand is to “enable founders and CEOs of the world’s most innovative companies to realize transformational growth through excellence in marketing.”


Pinterest Appoints First Chief Marketing Officer

Andréa Mallard has been named the very first CMO for Pinterest. Mallard previously served as chief marketing officer for Gap Inc.’s Athleta Division. Her 20+ year career includes several roles in marketing and strategy for Omada Health and IDEO, with a focus on retail and customer service.

In her new role, Mallard will be responsible for “telling the Pinterest story” to both users and global partners ahead of a potential 2019 public offering.

“I am very excited that Andréa has joined our team,” said Francoise Brougher, Pinterest’s Chief Operating Officer. “Her wealth of experience in building great brands will be an asset to our company as we continue to expand globally. She is exactly the right leader to help us illustrate why hundreds of millions of people rely on Pinterest to get inspiration and do what they love.”


Twitter Taps Ad Exec For New Community Marketing Position

God-is Rivera has been appointed Twitter’s first global director of culture and community. Twitter created this new position to help marketers reach unofficial, yet highly influential communities like “Black Twitter.” Rivera previously served as the director of inclusion and cultural resonance at WPP PLC’s marketing agency, VMLY&R.

“The purpose of this role is to sit at the intersection of marketing, communications and culture,” said Leslie Berland, chief marketing officer and head of people at Twitter.


Asia Marketing Federation Names DSI Sampson Group CMO As President

The Asian Marketing Federation (AMF) has appointed Rohan Somawansa as its new President. Somawansa is currently the head of marketing and corporate communication and CMO for DSI Samson Group, the largest footwear manufacturer and retailer in Sri Lanka. Somawansa has served on the AMF board since 2011 and was appointed first vice president last year.


Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, November 9. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.


Job Vacancies 

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Make sure to check back for updates on our Careers page.