This week’s executive moves include Square Enix picking up a CMO from Blizzard Entertainment, Godiva adding a new chief marketing officer, Lyft appointing an ex-Sonos marketer as the company’s CMO and VW picking up a former Audi CMO to be the company’s head in America. Also, Goodyear promotes their CMO, Charming Charlie appoints a head marketer and Peugot hires a UK marketing director.
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Square Enix Hires Blizzard Vet For CMO
John Heinecke has been hired by Square Enix to be the company’s new chief marketing officer. Heinecke comes to Square Enix from Blizzard Entertainment, where he was the vice president of global publishing. At Blizzard, Heinecke had a large part in marketing Overwatch, Diablo III, and many Warcraft and Starcraft expansions. Before Blizzard, Heinecke was at ad agency Ignited, and worked on many Activision titles.
In a statement, CEO of Square Enix America Phil Roger said, “We are tremendously excited to welcome John Heinecke to the Square Enix family. John’s experience and knowledge will be instrumental in leading our marketing efforts.”
Godiva Hires Veteran Marketer
Godiva, the one-hundred year old Belgian chocolatier, has named John Galloway as the company’s chief marketing and innovation officer, effective October 22. Galloway leaves his position as CEO at Beautiful Day, but previously held the post of chief marketing officer at Hard Rock International. Before that Galloway worked for a number of years at PepsiCo, making his name turning around the Gatorade brand as VP of marketing.
Former Audi CMO Tapped For VW America
Scott Keogh, currently the president of Audi of America, has been named the CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Keogh served six years as chief marketing officer of Audi of American before taking the step up to president. Under his leadership, Audi saw sales double between 2010 and 2015.
Dr. Herbert Diess CEO of Volkswagen said of the appointment, “After the successful comeback of the Volkswagen brand, Scott Keogh, who led Audi to excellence in the U.S., will build upon the momentum and implement the next stage in the growth strategy as we continue to develop Volkswagen into a more relevant player in North America.“
Lyft Picks Former Sonos CMO
Lyft has hired former Sonos chief marketing officer Joy Howard as the company’s new chief marketing officer. Lyft has been gaining ground on Uber’s ride-sharing market share and the appointment of CMO veteran Howard shows just how invested the company is in marketing. Howard comes to Lyft after having been the chief marketing officer at Sonos for three years—leaving the company in August. Prior to that Howard spent a number of years as a marketing VP at Patagonia and Nike.
Charming Charlie Adds Chief Marketer
Charming Charlie, a jewelry and clothing maker based in Houston, has appointed Joy Garcia as the company’s chief marketing officer. Garcia comes on after a five year tenure at Stage Stores as vice president of brand marketing. Prior to that Garcia had stints at Dell and Travelocity.
Peugot Appoints Marketing Head
Peugot has appointed Martin Moll as the company’s UK marketing director. Moll held previous posts as European marketing director for Nissan and Honda, respectively.
Distillery Adds Director
International Beverage has added Cara Chambers as the company’s marketing director. Before taking the position at the Edinburgh-based distillery, Chambers worked in marketing at Sainsbury’s Bank and Baxter Food Group.
Goodyear Promotes CMO
Goodyear has promoted chief marketing officer Mike Dwyer to chief customer officer. Dwyer has worked for Goodyear since 2014 in various marketing positions and was appointed the chief marketing officer only a year ago. Prior to Goodyear, Dwyer worked for Unilever, moving up the ranks over a period of seven years. Goodyear also promoted Andy Traicoff to vice president, customer experience.
Diamond Resorts Names Chief Marketing Officer
Diamond Resorts, a global hospitality and vacation company, has named Jeffrey Solomon as the company’s chief marketing officer. Most recently Solomon as SVP and CEO and of Affinity Gaming.
National Association Of Realtors Appoints CMO
Victoria Gillespie has been named chief marketing and communications officer at the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Gillespie is a licensed realtor on top of having her own consulting firm, and most recently served as senior vice president of enterprise marketing & communications at Northwest Federal Credit Union.
Burlington Adds Former Univision CMO To Board
Burlington Stores has added Univision’s Jessica Rodriguez to the company’s board of directors. Rodriguez serves as Univision’s chief marketing officer, and in January of this year took on the additional roles of president and chief operator officer. Rodriguez has worked at Univision since 2002.
Tom Kingsbury, CEO of Burlington, said of the appointment, “We are delighted to welcome Jessica to our board. She is a dynamic operational leader and has a proven track record in branding and marketing. Jessica brings a deep understanding of the needs of consumers, and I believe that her insights and expertise will add value as we move forward and continue to execute our growth strategy.”
Monro Inc. Promote SVP to Chief Marketing Officer
Monro Inc., an auto service and tire center company, has promoted Deborah Brundage, currently the company’s senior vice president of marketing and merchandising, to be its next chief marketing officer. Brundage came to Monro in March after spending 13 years in marketing at Procter & Gamble.
Central Insurance Nabs CMO
Central Insurance has announced the company’s new chief marketing officer as Evan Purmort. Purmort has been with the company since 2003 working his way up the ranks from underwriter into executive positions.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, October 12. 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
| Global Head of Brand Marketing | Uber Eats | San Francisco, CA |
| VP, Marketing & Communications | Boingo | El Segundo, CA |
| VP, Originals Marketing | Starz | Los Angeles, CA |
| VP, Marketing, Brand & Customer Strategy | Banana Republic | San Francisco, CA |
| Head of Marketing, Stephen Curry | Under Armour | Baltimore, MD |
| VP, Marketing Strategy Operations | Paramount Pictures | Hollywood, CA |
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