Highlights

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai is stepping down from his position, electing to take an advisory position. Replacing him will be Kenichiro Yoshida, current director, deputy president and chief financial officer.

“Ever since my appointment as president and CEO in April 2012, I have stated that my mission is to ensure Sony continues to be a company that provides customers with kando – to move them emotionally – and inspires and fulfills their curiosity,” Hirai said in a statement. “As the company approaches a crucial juncture, when we will embark on a new mid-range plan, I consider this to be the ideal time to pass the baton of leadership to new management, for the future of Sony and also for myself to embark on a new chapter in my life.”


Laurence Tosi departing and Belinda Johnson becoming as chief operating officer.

“As our COO, Belinda will be responsible for the systems and teams that enable our businesses to function, as well as our legal, policy and communications teams,” said Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. “I want to thank Laurence for his tireless work on behalf of Airbnb and our community. He helped Airbnb establish a rigorous financial discipline, aided our expansion into new businesses including into luxury rentals, which is now one of our core businesses.”

Tosi had been with the hospitality app for two and a half years.


Bloomberg Media has hired its first-ever chief product officer, bringing on HuffPost head of product Julia Beizer.

“In this newly created position, Julia will be responsible for accelerating innovation across our digital product portfolio,” said Bloomberg’s global head of digital, M. Scott Havens. “Working with key stakeholders across the newsroom, media distribution, engineering, and our commercial organization, Julia will lead our ambitious product vision and strategy across our owned and operated platforms and our media distribution partners.”

Most recently, Beizer served as vice president of product for Oath’s media division, and has also held management roles at The Washington Post as well.


Applebee’s has tapped Joel Yashinsky for the position of chief marketing officer, taking over the company’s Franchise Marketing Committee to improve in-store sales as well as overall brand value.

“What I value most about Joel, other than his restaurant marketing experience, is his strategic capability and belief in franchisee collaboration,” said John Cywinski, president of Applebee’s. “Joel is a smart, creative, mature and highly-regarded executive with a deep operational orientation. He has also successfully navigated two turnarounds within his McDonald’s tenure, which will serve him well.”

Before his executive appointment at Applebee’s, Yashinsky worked at McDonald’s in a variety of positions, reaching the position of marketing vice president for its US division.


Staples has appointed Sandy Douglas CEO, effective in early April, succeeding departing CEO Shira Goodman.

“The North American Delivery business has a significant opportunity to accelerate long-term growth, and we are pleased to have Sandy join the leadership team at this important time,” said Joh Lederer, Staples executive chairman. “Sandy has extensive experience across multiple function areas including sales, marketing, merchandising and operations. This well-rounded experience makes him an ideal leader for Staples.”

Douglas previously worked at The Coca-Cola Company for over three decades, most recently as president of its North America business. He has also held the title of global chief customer officer during his tenure there.


Oath has announced two major executive appointments, expanding its global sales organization. Karen Schmidt has joined the company as vice president and head of B2B field marketing, and Kathryn Friedrich as chief business officer for RYOT Studio, Oath’s content marketing agency.

“We have aggressive goals for growth in 2018 and beyond, which Kathryn and Karen will help us realize,” said John DeVine, Oath’s chief revenue officer.

Before signing on with Oath, Friedrich was chief marketing and revenue officer at  Thrive Global, an anti-stress organization founded by Ariana Huffington. For her part, Schmidt worked in leadership positions at American Express for ten years, most recently as global head of sales enablement.


Jack in the Box is undergoing c-suite shakeups in the coming weeks, as its brand president Frances Allen has announced her intention to retire in early February. Additionally, the fast-food chain has appointed Marcus Tom vice president and chief operating officer.

“As I mentioned at the recent ICR Conference, I will take the opportunity to flatten our organizational structure following the expected sale of our Qdoba brand,” said Jack in the Box chairman and CEO Lenny Comma. “Frances graciously suggested the elimination of her position so that we could more quickly begin restructuring the brand’s leadership. Frances was instrumental in refining the brand’s strategy and positioning, with an emphasis on improving the quality of the food and transforming the business model to be more asset-light through refranchising.”

Tom joins Jack in the Box from JAB Beech Inc, where he was senior vice president of operations for Caribou Coffee.

“Marcus is an agile leader with a proven record of achieving high levels of operational excellence across large retail systems, like Starbucks,” Comma said. “Adding a seasoned restaurant-industry veteran like him, with his unique skillset and proficiencies in operations, is a key piece of our re-focused Jack in the Box leadership team.”


McDonald’s has expanded its executive marketing team, bringing on Kenny Mitchell and Lizette Williams as vice president of brand content and head of cultural engagement, respectively.

“We are excited about the fresh, innovative thinking and experience Kenny and Lizette bring to our team,” Morgan Flatley, McDonald’s USA CMO, said in a statement to AdWeek. “They are both highly-respected, talented leaders, and with their respective teams, will play a critical role in bringing our marketing strategy to life as we continue to raise the bar for our customers.”

Mitchell most recently worked at Gatorade, where he led the brand’s integrated marketing efforts, and Williams oversaw multicultural marketing for Kimberly-Clark North America.

The Rest Of The C-Suite

(Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, February 2. Have a new hire tip? Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.)


Carnival Cruise Line has appointed Adolfo Perez senior vice president of sales and trade marketing, just three years after he was promoted to vice president of sales and trade marketing in 2015.

“Adolfo has been critical to driving growth in our travel agent business, both domestically and internationally, and we want to recognize the success of his leadership and the efforts of his team and the results they have delivered,” said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.

Perez has been with Carnival since 1982, when he joined as an embarkation agent.


Pandora is undergoing organizational shifts, eliminating as much as 5 percent of its workforce, citing a shift in focus toward ad-tech and audience development.

“As I shared last quarter, we know where and how to invest in order to grow,” said Pandora CEO Roger Lynch. “We have an aggressive plan in place that includes strategic investments in our priorities: ad-tech, product, content, partnerships and marketing. I am confident these changes will enable us to drive revenue and listener growth.”

The company has also announced plans to expand its presence and workforce in Atlanta.


In an earnings call, Google has announced that it will expand or open offices across America this year, hiring thousands to staff them.

“Last year in the US we grew faster outside the Bay Area than in the Bay Area,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. “To support this growth, we will be making significant investments in offices across nine states, including Colorado and Michigan.”


HubKonnect, a cognitive AI marketing platform, has appointed Kevin Newell to its board of directors.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Kevin join our team,” HubKonnect CEO Michael Koch said. “His understanding of the QSR industry is unparalleled, and his experience in building a global brand will aid in the accelerated growth of HubKonnect.”

Newell joins the company from McDonald’s where he previously served as president of its West Zone, and once held the position of global chief brand officer.


Christopher Ensey has joined Riot Blockchain, a blockchain support and consulting firm, as its chief operating officer.

“Chris brings a strong wealth of corporate experience in cyber security and a passion for blockchain technology to Riot,” commented John O’Rourke, CEO of Riot Blockchain. “He has long-standing enterprise relationships from his experience at IBM and Dunbar and a technical depth in blockchain technology from his active involvement in the space over the past five years.”

Ensey previously worked at Dunbar Security Solutions as its chief operating officer.


Digital publishing group Future has hired Luke Edson as its US chief revenue officer, after a 41 percent growth in US revenue last year.

“I’m really excited to welcome Luke on board. His proficiency in commercial operations will help shape our strategy and business development in the US,” said Zillah Byng-Thorne, Future’s CEO. “There’s a wealth of opportunity for us in the U.S. and I have every faith Luke will be able to capitalize on that.”

Edson most recently worked at Yellow Pages, where he held the position of senior vice president of national markets.


Dana Strong has joined Comcast as president of consumer services, where she will be responsible for the company’s go-to-market strategy for its cable services.

“Dana has an impressive career and great track record driving growth, digital transformation and improving the customer experience for some of the fastest growing companies in the industry,” said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable president and CEO. “I’m thrilled to welcome her to Comcast and can’t imagine a better leader to partner with me and our talented team as we continue to create the most innovative products available on the market, while driving growth and transforming the customer experience.”

Before Comcast, Strong worked at Virgin Media, where she served as president and chief operating officer.

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