Who’s Who in Sales & Marketing 2017

Recognizing the people behind the technologies, systems and processes that drive effective sales and marketing

ANHEUSER-BUSCH 
INBEV
CJ Watson
Vice President, Small Format Sales

Watson championed an extensive data platform that helped A-B build more effective plans for thousands of retail partners, leading to a CGT Visionary nod in 2015. He serves on the board of the National Association of Convenience Stores.

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CARGILL PROTEIN GROUP
Chuck Gitkin
Chief Marketing Officer
After helping Smithfield Foods become one of the fastest-growing food companies (and being named a "CMO of the Year" runner-up) in 2016, Gitkin moved on last fall to became Cargill's first CMO.

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CHOBANI
Peter McGuinness
Chief Marketing & Brand Officer
A 2016 "CMO of the Year" runner-up, McGuinness continues to guide Chobani's rise from a small Greek yogurt brand to the epitome of a modern food manufacturer.

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CHURCH & DWIGHT

Sean Crapps
Director of Sales Finance and Strategy _____________________________________________________

COCA-COLA

Chad Riley
Customer Development Director, U.S. Grocery Channel and Retail Operations

Laura Houghton
Director, Digital Shopper Marketing
Houghton has been helping Coke develop a more realistic measurement model for digital shopper marketing that factors in some of the more unique characteristics of the online world.

 

Nicole Hutcheson
Director, Shopper Strategy & Innovation
Hutcheson monitors emerging trends and technologies to identify ways to enhance the shopper experience within the environments of partnering retailers.
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CONAGRA BRANDS

Jonas Paretzkin
Director, Emerging Technologies and E-Commerce

The first half of his title puts Paretzkin in charge of finding startups and other innovative technology companies that can help Conagra improve various business practices.

 

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CONSTELLATION BRANDS

Paige Guzman
Director of Marketing Innovation

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COTY INC.

David Russell
Vice President, Sales Strategy

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DEL MONTE FOODS
Pam Brown
Director, IT Governance Del Monte Foods
Pam Brown spent the early part of her career in sales leadership before segueing into the director of trade promo on management role at Del Monte, where she led sales operations, trade management systems and, in 2016, assumed responsibility for sales BI analytics. “During the 10 years in this position, I found a love and passion for connecting with the business on large systems and process improvements.”

In 2015, the recently acquired consumer foods portion of Del Monte moved to the SAP platform, making the massive transition in just six months. “Everything changed,” says Brown. “When your systems change, your end-to-end processes need to be holistically re-evaluated. An enterprise transformation is never perfect, and I am proud of everything our Del Monte teams were able to execute to keep the massive change as transparent as possible for our retailers and consumers.”

After 10 years directing sales operations and 26 in sales leadership, Brown shifted last June to a company-wide IT position, a role that she herself proposed. She’s now leading IT governance and the project management organization across the total enterprise. “We’re taking the business, systems and process deployment expertise that we did well for sales and executing on an enterprise-wide level,” Brown explains. Moving out of her sales comfort zone into new business territories — warehouses, accounts payable, etc. — “is the hardest work I’ve ever done, but also the most exciting.”

Among recent noteworthy accomplishments was deploying
 a reporting suite to support Del Monte’s refreshed integrated business planning process. “Facilitating design sessions, driving cross-functional alignment and overcoming obstacles is hard, but it’s extremely fulfilling when it all comes together,” Brown says. “When systems and processes are fully adopted and drive greater efficiency for the organization, that’s when the team has succeeded.”

The biggest challenge currently facing the industry is adjusting to rapid change. “The marketplace is shifting, center store is challenging and, as a result, our teams are working to develop new strategies and products that will make a difference,” she says. “Our consumers are researching and buying products differently. We must be proactive to meet their needs before they walk in the store.”

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DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP
Scott Sieffert
Director of Sales Operations

Mike O’Hare
Vice President, Category Management _____________________________________________________

ENERGIZER HOLDINGS
John Abshear
Director, Global Trade Investment Planning
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ENJOY LIFE FOODS
Joel Warady
Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Sales and marketing isn’t literally in Joel Warady’s blood, but it’s close: “I had a father who had a side business that demanded he attend trade shows and work a booth,” he explains. “I started working trade shows at age eight and never looked back.”

The uniqueness that drives Warady’s business outlook doesn’t end there: “I used to own a toothbrush and dental products company” that made private label products for major retailers. “The great thing about being in private label is that it teaches you how to market multiple brands simultaneously, as each retailer positions its own brand slightly differently.”

Having been involved with Enjoy Life since its inception in 2001 (and
 as CSO/CMO since 2011), he’s delighted to still be helping guide the brand now that it’s a subsidiary of Mondelez International (since 2015). “I have a strong attachment to the brand, and to the culture and mission behind it. I now have a responsibility to grow Enjoy Life Foods under Mondelez while maintaining its integrity and heritage. We are growing our team, our sales, and our brand awareness. I’m proud of the smooth transition, as indicated by our current execution and record sales.”

“The marketplace is evolving, which is nothing new. Change has always been a constant. What is different today is the speed with which change is happening, and technology is the common thread,” says Warady. “Retailers and manufacturers who don’t plan for this change will be left behind, and they won’t realize it until it’s too late.”

“It will not be unusual for us to see the use of artificial intelligence 
in homes to make the decisions about what families will eat for dinner,” says Warady, when asked for a future forecast. “Through IoT and machines talking to machines, software will order the ingredients and products from the fulfillment center, and the fulfillment center will place the completed order in an autonomous delivery vehicle that ultimately will reach the house for same-day delivery with no human interaction. Consumer goods companies and retailers must be ready for this truly transformational shift in how consumers purchase and consume our products.”

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ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES
Constance Howlett
Vice President, Packaging Operations
A brand new member of CGT’s Executive Council, ongoing member of its Editorial Advisory Board and a past Visionary, Howlett is a 20-year Estee Lauder veteran who helps the company make “careful investments in technology and people.”

 

Tulie White
Executive Director, Global Sales Capability

In her current role, White is dedicated to creating excellence at retail. Her tech-savvy notwithstanding, White told CGT last year — when she was tapped as a Visionary — that effectively (and personally) managing people is the most important part of her job.

 

Martin J. Dempsey
Vice President, Global Retail Technologies _____________________________________________________

FRUIT OF THE LOOM

Nicholas Matar
Director of Category Management
Matar’s current role leverages fact-based analyses grounded in consumer needs to drive strategic, actionable recommendations for internal and external stakeholders. “By partnering with IT, we elevate our capabilities through advanced tools and technology,” he explains.

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GENERAL MILLS

Brad Hiranaga
Vice President, Brand Building Services
His work transforming Totino’s from generic frozen pizza into a vibrant, rapidly growing lifestyle brand earned Hiranaga kudos as one of CGT’s 2016 Visionaries. He was promoted to his current position in January.

 

Dion Kells
Director, Sales Technology

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GEORGIA-PACIFIC
Douwe Bergsma

Chief Marketing Officer, Georgia-Pacific
Bergsma became G-P's first CMO for consumer products in 2011. But he's been thinking ahead of the industry since the mid-1990s, when he helped Procter & Gamble understand the benefits of account-specific marketing in his native Netherlands.

 

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HAIRUWEAR
Michael Ferrara
Chief Marketing Officer _____________________________________________________

HEINEKEN USA

Roy Avijit
Director, Business Applications & Data Warehousing
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HENKEL CORP.

Michael Rybnick
Director, Customer Investment & Optimization
Over the course of 25-plus years in CPG, Rybnick has implemented seven different trade management systems at several companies. He’s currently helping Henkel align its systems with those of 2016 acquisition Sun Products.

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HORMEL FOODS
Kevin Kroymann
Director of Trade Marketing

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JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Alison Lewis
Global Chief Marketing Officer

Her work implementing a new strategy for integrated marketing communications that spread media-neutral ideas around the globe led CGT to name her a "CMO of the Year" finalist in 2015.

 

Ben Walker
U.S. Sales IT Director

Douglas Dickler
Senior Director, Sales Operations & Business Intelligence _____________________________________________________

KEDS
Emily Culp
Chief Marketing Officer

Business Insider named Culp one of the “Most Innovative CMOs” in the world last fall. She joined Keds in 2015, just in me to help the iconic footwear brand celebrate its 100th anniversary a year later.

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KELLOGG

Clive Sirkin
Chief Growth Officer
Named CGT's 2014 "CMO of the Year" for helping Kimberly-Clark get closer to the consumer by better aligning marketing and IT, Sirkin joined Kellogg in late 2015 to drive innovation across all commercial functions. 

 

Chris Tutor
Vice President of Marketing

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KIMBERLY-CLARK

Mukund Kaushik
Vice President, IT Services, Global Marketing
Since 2013, Kaushik has been helping K-C’s marketing organization build IT capabilities that make it more effective in an increasingly digital world. He joined the packaged goods marketplace after 10 years in the automotive industry.

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KRAFT HEINZ

Brian Sobecks
Senior Digital Innovator and Evangelist

Jeffrey Deutch
Digital Innovation Lead
Deutch’s mission in leading the Kraft Heinz digital innovation 
team is to scout for ownable and scalable technologies that can provide competitive advantage to the brands and customer teams. The ultimate goal is to develop win-win partnerships with these emerging technology suppliers. His role recently expanded to encompass research & development and quality systems. The vision behind the change was to enable stronger visibility to the product pipeline and identify how innovative technology can support product launches.

One recent example of the digital innovation team’s work is the establishment of a long-term partnership with Fetch Rewards, a scan-as-you-go shopping app for the grocery channel. This enables Kraft Heinz to use its extensive recipe database to drive engagement, send promotional offers to targeted groups of consumers, and gain insightful data on shopper behavior. “It gives us access to a real world shopping panel,” Deutch says.

Deutch has been involved in sales and marketing IT for nearly 20 years, and previously helped Kraft Heinz develop an IT strategic plan. “That role required balancing core IT demands versus investing in transformational capabilities,” he explains. Among his proudest achievements was the recent launch of a “Kraft Heinz Rewards” pilot program that incentivizes consumers to purchase any of the company’s numerous brands, thereby leveraging the scale of the entire portfolio.

“The most significant challenge I am currently facing is the ability to provide the business with the capabilities required
 to meet the speed of new product development,” says Deutch. “Speed to market for both physical goods and digital services is essential to providing a competitive advantage for the Kraft Heinz family of brands.”

In terms of the future, Deutch believes that “the consumer goods technology marketplace will transform in various ways over the next five years. From an IT perspective, I would foresee significant consolidation in shopper marketing solutions, as one-off tools are cobbled together to develop more meaningful value for consumers and CPGs. From a consumer goods perspective, I would anticipate that successful CPGs will need to integrate services as part of their physical offerings to remain relevant in a digital world.”

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L’OREAL USA

Rachel Weiss
Vice President of Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship _____________________________________________________

MASTER LOCK

Marti Gahlman
Director of E-commerce

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MATTEL

Jessica Lopez
Director of Retail Development

Barbara Haas
Director, Retail Services
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MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL
Steve McGowan
Director of Shopper Marketing
A veteran of 20-plus years spanning brand marketing, sales planning and sales strategy, McGowan currently leads the shopper marketing function across all of Mondelez’s customers and categories. His team has won three Effies and five Reggie awards in the last three years.

 

Michael Marzano
IT Lead, Retail Solutions
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MTD PRODUCTS

Dan Birch
Senior Director of Sales

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NESTLE USA
Mark Nichta
Director, Sales Information Strategy
A CGT Visionary in 2014, Nichta currently focuses on technologies that Nestle’s sales teams can use to interact with retail customers to improve sales while reducing administrative overhead.

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NESTLE-PURINA

Shawn Cully
Director of Retail Experience
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NESTLE WATERS
Antonio Sciuto
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
CGT's 2016 "CMO of the Year" is leading an effort to re-envision the consumer experience from anonymous touch points to a well-orchestrated journey based on identity, data, testing and optimization across brands. He now hopes to use technology to give Nestle Waters greater in-house control of its own marketing activity.

Debbie Magazu
Vice President, Consumer Communications
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NEWELL BRANDS

Richard Davies
Chief Development Officer
Joining Newell in 2013 as chief marketing and insights officer, Davies immediately began to implement an insights-first strategy (that made him a finalist for “CMO of the Year” in 2015). He was named to his current post in fall 2015, adding product innovation to his duties.

 

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NIKE INC.

Pamm Chambers
Director of Category Operations, Young Athletes _____________________________________________________

PEPSICO

Jeff Swearingen
Senior Vice President, PepsiCo Demand Xcelerator

Esperanza Teasdale
Senior Director of Shopper Marketing
Teasdale drives the shopper marketing agenda and commercial results across 14 strategic customers. She is best known for driving results, delivering insights-based ideas, innovating with digital solutions and nurturing future talent.

 

Phyllis Fogarty
Senior Director, Long Term Innovation _____________________________________________________

PERNOD RICARD USA

Mike Thome
Director of Route-to-Market Excellence and Commercial Planning _____________________________________________________

PINNACLE FOODS

Richard Mayers
Senior Director of Sales Technology
Mayers champions sales technology initiatives across the organization and partners with Pinnacle’s IT division to help drive sales efficiency and effectiveness. He leverages his early sales background to help drive real initiatives for improving sales force operations.

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PROCTER & GAMBLE

Steve Aaron
Senior Global Enterprise Architect
Aaron’s position has him working on all consumer-facing systems and experiences, including data, websites and customer support. He was named a CGT Visionary in 2014 after architecting “1, Consumer Place,” P&G’s single, secure ecosystem for all global marketing content.

 

Kent Oldham
CEO, Digital Presence
Oldham's many-hatted role at P&G also encompasses leading digital shared services and serving as coo of direct-to-consumer selling.

Milan Turk, Jr.
Managing Director, Go to Market Innovation, Global Innovations
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REYNOLDS AMERICAN

Peter Hatch
Senior Director, Strategy & Planning

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REYNOLDS CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Vernetta McDowell
Director of Sales Operations
A 20-year industry veteran, McDowell currently leads a corporate team responsible for trade system administration, business analytics, data synchronization, sales coaching and development, and policy development.

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RICH PRODUCTS
Daryl Miller
Director of Marketing
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SAPUTO DAIRY FOODS
Rebecca Low
Director Sales Operations
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J.M. SMUCKER CO.
Donald Ilg
Director of Sales Operations
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SC JOHNSON

Chad Niemuth
Director, Business Process & Technology (BPT) Demand Management _____________________________________________________

TYSON FOODS

Christopher Haller
Vice President, Commercial Capabilities, Planning & Development, Customer Growth Capabilities
A 30-year Tyson veteran, Haller’s broad experience encompasses consumer marketing, trade promotion and sales. His current role puts him in charge of the company’s Customer Development Organization.

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UNDER ARMOUR

Michael Lee
Chief Digital Officer
Named CDO in July 2016, Lee is responsible for the strategic direction of Under Armour’s Connected Fitness business. He joined the company in early 2015 when it acquired MyFitnessPal, the health community he co-founded.

 

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UNILEVER

Jonathan Hammond
Global Marketing Director and Business Head, Unilever Foundry
Since November 2016, Hammond has led Foundry, which was launched to assist Unilever's brand teams in finding new technologies to help achieve specific business objectives. He first joined Unilever in 2008 as an assistant category operations manager in New Zealand.

Doug Straton
Vice President, Digital, E-commerce/Omnichannel, Data

Jimmy Duncan
Director Sales Operations
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WORLD KITCHEN

Ken Bausch
Vice President, Global Digital Marketing

To read the full digital edition of CGT's May 2017 issue, click here