Strategy

The acquisition of SpiritClips offers Hallmark a new way to engage consumers in the digital world and a potential new channel of distribution for the brand.

The Great Recession is finally over! That statement may not ring true for most Americans, but it does for chief executives from the 500 biggest U.S. companies. McKesson's CEO took the No. 1 spot, but consumer goods executives, like Kraft's Irene Rosenfeld and VF's Eric Wiseman, didn't fall far behind on Forbes annual list.

The Target team at Hain Celestial Group Inc. was in a promotion rut. With a limited trade budget, they wanted to determine if they were spending those dollars wisely. And, if not, where those dollars could be better spent.

P&G wanted to find a way to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of its data warehouse environment and expand its analytical and brand decision-making capabilities. Consolidating point-of-sale data into a single data warehouse platform was fundamental to these objectives.

The new CIO will lead The Hershey Companys Global Information Services Department, including developing global technology strategies that support the companys growth in key emerging markets around the world.

The company operates more than 1,000 selling points in the 19-million consumer Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro regions, where Sara Lee is already the retail market leader.

The executive once served as Gap, Inc.'s EVP and CMO where he was responsible for leading marketing strategy, retail store design, store experience and all consumer communication.