This week in leadership updates, Maison Margiela appoints Tanja Ruhnke as CMO, Target brings on Maurice Cooper as its senior vice president of marketing, Cracker Barrel hires Jennifer Tate as CMO, Roblox hires Barbara Messing as its first-ever CMO, City of Hope names Gulden Mesara as chief communications and marketing officer and more.


Maison Margiela Hires Tanja Ruhnke As Chief Marketing Officer

Maison Margiela has appointed Tanja Ruhnke as the brand’s first-ever CMO, according to WWD.

Ruhnke most recently served as vice president of communications, North America, for Valentino. Prior to that, she was vice president of global branding and communications at Alexander Wang.


Target Names Maurice Cooper As Vice President Of Marketing

Maurice Cooper has joined Target as the company’s SVP of marketing.

Prior to joining Target, Cooper founded and led Forward Vision Strategies consultancy after working as executive vice president and chief growth and experience officer for Wingstop Restaurants for over a year.


Cracker Barrel Appoints Jennifer Tate As Chief Marketing Officer

Cracker Barrel has hired Jennifer Tate as CMO.

Tate joins from Olive Garden, where she’s held various marketing leadership roles for over a decade.


Roblox Hires Barbara Messing As First-Ever Chief Marketing Officer

Roblox has named former Walmart senior vice president and CMO Barbara Messing as its first CMO to lead marketing, communications and employee experience.

Prior to working with Walmart from August 2018 to September 2019, Messing held executive roles at TripAdvisor and Hotwire.


City of Hope Names Gulden Mesara As Chief Marketing Officer

Starting September 15, Gulden Mesara will lead City of Hope’s communications and marketing.

Mesara, who replaces John Weston, most recently oversaw Walgreens Boots Alliance US communications as group vice president of communications.


Daniel Cherry Joins DC Comics As GM

Comicbook.com reports that Activision CMO Daniel Cherry is joining the DC Comics team as SVP and general manager, effective September 8th.

According to the announcement, the hiring of Cherry frees up Jim Lee, who will have “an expanded role in the overall DC brand.”


SoundExchange Appoints Esther-Mireya Tejeda Chief Marketing Officer

SoundExchange has hired Esther-Mireya Tejeda as chief marketing and communications officer, according to Variety. Reporting to SoundExchange president and CEO Michael Huppe, Tejeda will oversee the company’s brand strategy and marketing, global communications and a team of nearly two dozen marketing and communications professionals.

Prior to joining SoundExchange, Tejeda served as senior vice president and head of corporate communications at Entercom.


Speakable Hires Rebecca Chen As First Marketing Head

Rebecca Chen has joined Speakable as the startup’s first vice president of marketing, Campaign reports.

Before joining Speakable, Chen was commercial lead for marketing and sales at Strong Roots U.S.A. Prior to that, she held various roles at Anheuser-Busch over the course of three years.