Mastercard and PayPal Veteran Jill Cress Is Babylist’s First CMO
Babylist, the online baby‑registry platform, reported $750 million in revenue and 45% year‑over‑year growth, prompting the hire of veteran marketer Jill Cress as its first chief marketing officer. Cress, who previously led consumer strategy at Mastercard and marketing at National Geographic, PayPal, and H&R Block, will steer the brand’s next phase of expansion. The company is scaling its physical presence, adding a larger SoHo boutique after a successful Beverly Hills pop‑up. Cress will also guide Babylist toward a projected 2027 IPO.
Aeroprime Group Grows Cargo Talent
Aeroprime Group announced the appointment of Bhavana Khera as Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Customer Success for its cargo division. Khera brings extensive B2B marketing, brand management, and customer‑engagement experience from firms like CargoFlash, Shine.com, and Huawei. In her...
EXCLUSIVE: Three Top Executives Including Ian Colley Are Leaving The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk announced the departure of three senior executives, most notably chief marketer and executive vice president Ian Colley, who leaves after more than seven years. Colley will be succeeded by Anna Sayre, a longtime marketing leader at the firm. The...
OpenAI CMO Kate Rouch Steps Down
OpenAI announced that Chief Marketing Officer Kate Rouch will step down, ending her tenure that began in 2025. Rouch arrived from Coinbase and previously held senior marketing positions at Meta and The Bridgespan Group. The company has not disclosed a...
Jill Cress Named CMO of Babylist
Jill Cress was appointed chief marketing officer of Babylist, effective May 2026. She will oversee brand, performance, content and experiential marketing. Babylist reported 45% year‑over‑year revenue growth to over $750 million in 2025 and marked its eighth consecutive profitable year. Cress...
Starbucks Revives S'mores and Unicorn Frappuccinos to Spark Sales Rebound
Starbucks announced the summer 2026 return of its S'mores and Unicorn Frappuccinos, tying the move to its "Back to Starbucks" strategy. Early Q1 fiscal 2026 data shows a 4% rise in North America comparable store sales, signaling the nostalgia push...
Nobilia UK Appoints Ntola Obazee as Group Marketing Director
Nobilia UK has named Ntola Obazee as its new group marketing director, overseeing the brand’s strategy across Kutchenhaus, Nobilia UK, Nobilia Projects, independents and KUBE Kitchens. Obazee brings a cross‑industry background in premium fashion, lifestyle and hospitality, with senior roles...
Brooks CMO on Shaping a Global Brand Vision, with Help From Cynthia Erivo
Brooks Running, a century‑old challenger to giants like Nike, posted record growth in 2025 and broadened its CMO Melanie Allen's remit to steer a global brand vision and retail rollout. The company launched the "Shine Under Pressure" campaign starring actress‑runner...
How Marketing Leaders Are Getting Unstuck From Salesforce by Stitch
Stitch is hosting an April 14 fireside chat for brand‑side marketers who feel trapped by Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The session will explore why many enterprises view their data as tangled, contracts as restrictive, and email programs as stagnant. Attendees will learn...
How Marketing Leaders Are Getting Unstuck From Salesforce by Stitch
Stitch is hosting a fireside chat for brand‑side marketers who feel trapped by Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s complexity and contractual lock‑ins. Attendees will hear why data entanglement, repetitive email flows, and patchwork solutions are common complaints. The session outlines how moving...
OpenAI Buys TBPN for Low‑hundreds‑of‑millions, Bolstering AI‑driven Marketing Push
OpenAI has acquired the tech‑media podcast TBPN in a deal valued in the low hundreds of millions of dollars, placing the show under its communications and marketing division. The move signals a strategic push to control AI‑centric brand narratives ahead...
Anthropic’s Growth Lead Credits $19 B Revenue Surge to Culture and Niche Focus
Amol Avasare, Anthropic’s head of growth, says the AI firm’s revenue climbed from a few hundred million to roughly $19 billion as a 40‑person growth team leveraged a narrow enterprise AI focus and an open culture. The interview reveals how the...
Pattern Beauty Moves Into Its Next Chapter
Pattern Beauty, the Tracee Ellis Ross‑founded hair‑care brand, announced a strategic shift toward brand awareness after six years of rapid growth. Co‑CEO Christiane Pendarvis said the company is moving beyond its start‑up phase, expanding its product line into body care...
Samantha Saunders Appointed CMO Of Dreamworld Parent Company
Coast Entertainment Holdings Group, owner of Dreamworld and related attractions, has returned to positive EBITDA after a multi‑year restructuring. To capitalize on this momentum, the board appointed Samantha Saunders as chief marketing officer and Luke Ingles as chief strategy officer....
UK Semiconductor Centre Appoints Two New Directors
The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) has hired Martin O’Sullivan as Director of Investment and Steve Taylor as Director of Strategic Marketing. O’Sullivan, a PhD‑trained semiconductor physicist with a background in equity research and capital markets, will streamline investor relations and...
Q&A with Lands’ End CMO on Marketing to the Modern Consumer
Lands’ End appointed Sarah Sylvester as its first chief marketing officer in over a decade, shortly after WHP Global acquired a controlling stake for $300 million. Sylvester, a former Victoria’s Secret executive, says she will start by listening to customers and...
Code Ninjas Names Tyler Semerdjian CMO to Accelerate Global Franchise Growth
Code Ninjas, the world’s largest kids coding franchise, announced Tyler Semerdjian as its new chief marketing officer. The 15‑year marketing veteran will lead a global strategy aimed at modernizing infrastructure, improving enrollment at more than 350 centers, and scaling the...
Hannaford Unveils Redesigned Private Label Line
Hannaford, a banner of Ahold Delhaize USA, has launched a redesign of its private‑label packaging, swapping the previous graphics for a simpler look featuring bold red block lettering. The overhaul, which took roughly a year of consumer research, is being rolled out...
Ex-Landmark Executive Harish Pandey Joins GoWit Leadership
GoWit has hired former Landmark Group executive Harish Pandey as Head of Growth for the MENA region and India. Pandey, who previously led retail‑media revenue at Landmark and held senior roles at Khaleej Times and Google, will steer GoWit’s regional...
Jack in the Box Appoints Katelyn Zborowski as CMO to Steer Brand Into Next Growth Phase
Jack in the Box announced Katelyn Zborowski as its new chief marketing officer. The former Yum! Brands executive brings 15 years of food‑service marketing experience, including leading Pizza Hut’s brand strategy and launching 40+ limited‑time offers at Taco Bell. Her...
New Appointment in Suntory Beverage & Food Europe
Suntory Beverage & Food Europe announced Pauline Varga as its new chief marketing officer, effective April 1, 2026. Varga joins the SBFE Executive Committee after eight years at Suntory, where she drove growth for legacy brands like Schweppes and launched...
How Hyatt Is Making 'Racecations' A Thing
Hyatt has become the exclusive Asia‑Pacific hotel partner for HYROX, leveraging the three‑day Singapore race that drew more than 14,000 athletes. The partnership frames hotel stays as integral to the competition, offering recovery‑focused amenities and curated destination guides. Hyatt plans...
Brand Budgets Killing Your Influence, CMO Warns
The CMO’s Final Warning: Why ‘Brand’ Budgets Are Killing Your Influence by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/A6q7CqMivt @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #SalesEnablement #RevOps #Marketing #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #MarketingSuccess https://t.co/thmQQegw6f
OpenAI Shifts COO Brad Lightcap to Special Projects, Eyes Enterprise AI Sales
OpenAI has reassigned longtime COO Brad Lightcap to head a new special projects unit focused on selling enterprise AI solutions, while the company's AGI chief and another senior leader step away for medical leave. The move signals a strategic push...
Head of Growth (Anthropic): “Claude Is Growing Itself at This Point” | Amol Avasare
Amol Avasare, Head of Growth at Anthropic, explains how the AI startup surged from $1 billion to over $19 billion in annual recurring revenue within just 14 months. The company leverages its own Claude model to automate growth experiments through an internal tool...
Sabre Appoints Former Travelport Executive Jennifer Catto as Global CMO
Sabre has elevated Jennifer Catto, a veteran marketer from rival Travelport, to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. The appointment, formalized after Catto joined Sabre in February 2025, places her in charge of worldwide brand strategy and customer acquisition....
The Marketing Playbook That Propelled This Cat Food Brand to $100 Million in Less Than a Decade
Smalls, a fresh cat‑food DTC brand founded in 2017, hit $100 million in annual revenue last year, achieving the milestone in under a decade. The co‑founders targeted the underserved cat‑owner segment, positioning their meals as human‑grade, protein‑rich upgrades. Early on they...
Twin Peaks CMO Melissa Fry Emphasizes Confidence and Inclusion in Leadership
Twin Peaks' chief marketing officer Melissa Fry outlined her people‑first, confidence‑based leadership style in a fresh franchising.com profile. The veteran marketer, a Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing 2024 honoree, detailed how she aligns franchisees, modernizes the brand and empowers emerging...
BYD Rolls Out Two New Seal Models, Bringing Flagship Tech to $21,000 Segment
BYD unveiled the Seal 06 GT electric sedan and the Seal 06 DM‑i Wagon plug‑in hybrid, packing its second‑generation Blade Battery, MW‑level flash charging, DiSus‑C chassis and God's Eye B autonomous system into a 150,000‑yuan ($21,000) price bracket. The launch...
Netflix Appoints Kelly Pakula as VP of Global Corporate Communications
Netflix has hired Instacart veteran Kelly Pakula as Vice President of Global Corporate Communications, reporting to CCO Dani Dudeck. The move adds a second former Instacart leader to Netflix’s communications team amid a revenue surge and a broader talent war...
Former Honor CMO Guo Rui Named Chairman and CEO of Zhijie Auto
Guo Rui, who built Honor’s global brand and led Huawei’s Greater China marketing, has been appointed chairman and chief executive of Zhijie Auto effective April 2, 2026. The move underscores a broader migration of tech‑marketing talent into China’s fast‑growing smart‑vehicle...
Devyani International Names New Leaders for Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee
Devyani International announced a leadership overhaul effective April 6, 2026, naming Sandeep Anand as Chief Marketing Officer, Business Head and new CEO of Pizza Hut, while Robinder Singh becomes Business Head of Costa Coffee for airport locations. Anand arrives from Americana Restaurants, where he...
Devyani International Names Sandeep Anand, Robinder Singh in Key Roles
Devyani International announced two senior appointments: Sandeep Anand will become chief marketing officer and business head of Pizza Hut, while Robinder Singh will lead Costa Coffee and the company’s airport operations, both effective April 6, 2026. The moves are intended to sharpen marketing and...
CPG Leaders Push Full‑Funnel Media Strategies as Digital Landscape Fragments
Isabella Ganas and other CPG executives urged brands to adopt full‑funnel media plans that unite upper‑funnel storytelling with lower‑funnel performance. The shift reflects growing consumer fragmentation across devices and platforms, forcing marketers to redesign buying and attribution models.
Snowflake Hires Jonathan Beaulier as CRO to Boost Growth, Mizuho Sees 40% Upside
Snowflake announced Jonathan Beaulier as its new chief revenue officer on March 31, replacing Mike Gannon. The appointment triggered a 4% share drop, yet Mizuho reaffirmed a $220 price target, implying more than 40% upside. The move is aimed at accelerating...
McDonald’s Rolls Out $3‑Under McValue Menu to Drive Affordability and Growth
McDonald’s is launching a streamlined McValue menu of 10 items priced under $3 on April 21, aiming to win back cost‑conscious customers and lift sales. The move follows rival fast‑food chains’ value‑menu rollouts and reflects mounting pressure from inflation‑driven consumer...
Nielsen Renews Multi‑Year Deal with TelevisaUnivision, Expanding Hispanic Audience Measurement
Nielsen and TelevisaUnivision have signed a new multi‑year measurement and data agreement that spans national and local broadcast, cable, streaming and radio assets, including the ViX platform. The renewal gives advertisers a single, cross‑platform view of the fast‑growing Hispanic audience...
Choose Full‑Time Marketer or Fractional CMO: Know Which Fits
Not sure whether you need a full-time marketing hire or a fractional CMO? I wrote about exactly this: the real differences, what each model actually costs, and how to know which one fits where your business is right now. https://www.mallorymusante.com/blog/should-you-hire-an-employee-or-a-factional-cmo-for-your-marketing Worth a...
Advania UK Strengthens Senior Leadership Team with Double Appointment
Advania UK has appointed Sabrina Harris as chief financial officer and Tara Allison as chief marketing officer. Harris joins from BT, bringing experience in commercial finance and large‑scale technology transformations, while Allison arrives with over 25 years of B2B tech...
Exclusive: Can Skims’ Marketing Whiz Make Columbia Sportswear Cool?
Columbia Sportswear announced the appointment of Skims’ former chief marketing officer to spearhead a brand revamp aimed at younger, fashion‑forward consumers. The new executive will shift Columbia’s messaging from pure performance gear to a lifestyle‑centric narrative, leveraging influencer collaborations and...
Rams CMO Says Women Are the New Engine of Sports Fandom and Brand Loyalty
Los Angeles Rams chief marketing officer Kathryn Frederick told Newsweek’s Women’s Global Impact Forum that women now control the majority of sports‑related purchasing decisions. She argued that authentic storytelling that resonates with female fans will be crucial as Los Angeles...
GM Fills Cadillac CMO Role With Longtime Uber Exec
General Motors has appointed David Mogensen, former Uber global marketing chief, as Cadillac’s new chief marketing officer, ending an eight‑month vacancy. Mogensen brings experience leading Uber and Uber Eats across 30 markets and a prior stint at BMW, aligning with...
Nielsen Renews Multi‑year Deal with TelevisaUnivision to Broaden Hispanic Audience Measurement
Nielsen has signed a new multi‑year measurement and data agreement with TelevisaUnivision, extending its analytics across the Spanish‑language broadcaster’s TV, cable, streaming and radio assets. The deal adds Nielsen’s Advanced Audiences, streaming ratings and out‑of‑home tools, promising marketers deeper insight...
RAIN Notes: April 2
iHeartMedia announced the hiring of former NBCUniversal executive Jamie Cutburth as vice president of marketing and promoted Andrew Festo to vice president of events and experiences. Cutburth will drive tent‑pole storytelling and cross‑platform packaging, while Festo will oversee live and...
Edelman's Mitra Shifts to Burson
Veteran communications executive Sujata Mitra is leaving Edelman after seven years to join Burson Cohn & Wolfe as U.S. chair of earned media, effective April 20. At Edelman she built a multi‑sector earned media practice and advised C‑suite leaders on reputation...
Papa John's Rolls Out $7.99 Oven‑toasted Sandwiches to Boost Sales
Papa John's unveiled a new oven‑toasted sandwich lineup priced at $7.99, with a $6.99 two‑for‑one “Papa Pairings” deal, aiming to recapture lapsed customers. The move comes as the pizza chain battles a 2% drop in North‑American comparable sales, flat $2.1 billion...
Armra Taps Hamid Saify as New CMO
Armra, the direct‑to‑consumer colostrum supplement brand, has appointed Hamid Saify as chief marketing officer. Saify arrives from Lucky Energy after a stint as CMO and an early‑career role at Liquid Death, where he helped scale the brand into a fast‑growing...
Sundial Media & Technology Group Names Amanda Butler As First CMO
Sundial Media & Technology Group (SMTG) appointed marketing veteran Amanda Butler as its first chief marketing officer, a role she began in mid‑January. Butler will direct consumer marketing, communications, creative strategy, and insights across SMTG’s portfolio, which includes Essence, Refinery29,...
Nike Appoints Ashwin Kumar as India Brand Lead
Nike has re‑appointed Ashwin Kumar as its Brand Lead for India, marking his second stint with the company. Kumar previously spent nearly a decade in Nike’s communications and marketing roles across India and Southeast Asia before moving into independent consulting....
Shake Shack Launches Project Catalyst, AI Push to Speed Orders and Scale to 1,500 Stores
Shake Shack announced Project Catalyst, a four‑pillar AI and data strategy designed to accelerate order fulfillment, improve labor allocation and support a rollout to 1,500 company‑run restaurants. The plan couples an internal chatbot, a new cloud‑based POS platform and a...