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31 August 2022
PVH Corp. sees C-level shifts at Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger
On The Move has the latest on hires and promotions at Hershey, Kellogg, JM Smucker and more.

(Illustration by The Current)
On The Move has the latest on hires and promotions at Hershey, Kellogg, JM Smucker and more.

(Illustration by The Current)
Welcome to On the Move. In this hiring-focused weekly feature, The Current is rounding up recent arrivals and departures at brands and retailers across the ecommerce, retail and CPG landscape.
This week, PVH Corp. sees a departure at Calvin Klein and the addition of a head of merchandising at Tommy Hilfiger. Meanwhile, Kellogg’s and Johnson & Johnson designate key leaders ahead of planned spinouts. Plus, meet new executives at Hershey, Mars Petcare and JM Smucker.
Check out all of this week’s leadership moves:
Trish Donnelly will be leaving her role as CEO of PVH Americas & Calvin Klein Global, PVH Corp. said Wednesday. Going forward, the Tommy Hilfiger parent intends to split the role into two positions. PVH Corp. CEO Stefan Larsson will serve in those roles while a search is conducted. The company also shared on Wednesday that it is planning layoffs, saying that it would “reduce people costs” by 10% by the end of 2023. In turn, it plans to invest in digital, supply chain and consumer engagement.
Nadia Azria was appointed to the role of chief merchandising officer at Tommy Hilfiger, effective Nov. 1. In the role, Azria will be the business lead for management and creation of all products at the brand. This includes overseeing merchandising, product development, buying and planning, operations and collaborations. Azria joined Tommy Hilfiger from Nike, where she most recently served as VP of merchandising for One Nike Market Place. She previously spent 13 years at Ralph Lauren.

Nadia Azria. (Courtesy photo)
Kellogg Company announced the leadership team for its new cereal company as it prepares to separate three of its businesses into standalone companies. The leadership team includes the following current Kellogg team executives:
Laurent Marteau is joining L’Occitane Group as managing director. Marteau brings experience from LVMH Group and La Prairie Group to the French beauty retailer. He will report to CEO André Hoffmann.
Larry Merlo was appointed non-executive chair designate of the new consumer healthcare company that is set to spin out from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Merlo served as CEO of CVS Health from 2011-2021. The company previously announced that Thibaut Mongon will serve as CEO-designate of the company.
Aparna Chennapragada has been appointed to the board of directors at eBay. Chennapragada previously served as chief product officer of fintech firm Robinhood, and served as VP of AR and shopping at Google, where she led AI, visual search and product insights. With this move, former Facebook and Yahoo executive Katie Mitic is leaving the board.

Marlene Creighton. (Courtesy photo)
Marlene Creighton was promoted to global chief sales officer at The Hershey Company. Creighton will succeed Phil Stanley, who is leaving the confectionery leader after 26 years for another opportunity. Creighton joined Hershey four years ago, and has previous experience with P&G and Unilever.

Alex Cedeno. (Courtesy photo)
Alex Cedeno was hired as SVP of research and development at Mars Pet Nutrition North America. Bringing more than 28 years of experience, Cedeno previously served in a VP of R&D role at The JM Smucker Company. He also previously held innovation roles at Mead WestVaco and Procter & Gamble. He will succeed Michel Oostwal, who is retiring after 12 years with Mars Petcare.

Gagnesh Gupta. (Courtesy photo)
Gagnesh Gupta was named SVP of commodities and procurement at the JM Smucker Company, overseeing sourcing of ingredients and materials. Gupta brings experience from the The Kraft Heinz Company, Pinnacle Foods Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Whirlpool Corporation and Hudson's Bay Company. He is set to succeed Dan Nowicki, who is retiring in October.
Manish Choudhary was appointed president of SymphonyAI Retail CPG, a provider of AI-powered merchandising, marketing, and supply chain solutions for retailers and CPG manufacturers. The appointment comes as the company is changing its name to Symphony RetailAI. Choudary comes to SymphonyAI from Diebold Nixdorf, where he led a global software business for banking and retail customers. He succeeds Chris Koziol, who is leaving the company at the end of August.
Campbell Soup Company CEO Mark Clouse offered thoughts on messaging amid inflationary shifts in consumer behavior.
After months of elevated inflation and interest rate hikes that have the potential to cool demand, consumers are showing more signs of shifting behavior.
It’s showing up in retail sales data, but there’s also evidence in the observations of the brands responsible for grocery store staples.
The latest example came this week from Campbell Soup Company. CEO Mark Clouse told analysts that the consumer continues to be “resilient” despite continued price increases on food, but found that “consumers are beginning to feel that pressure” as time goes on.
This shows up in the categories they are buying. Overall, Clouse said Campbell sees a shift toward shelf-stable items, and away from more expensive prepared foods.
There is also change in when they make purchases. People are buying more at the beginning of the month. That’s because they are stretching paychecks as long as possible.
These shifts change how the company is communicating with consumers.
Clouse said the changes in behavior are an opportunity to “focus on value within our messaging without necessarily having to chase pricing all the way down.”
“No question that it's important that we protect affordability and that we make that relevant in the categories that we're in," Clouse said. "But I also think there's a lot of ways to frame value in different ways, right?”
A meal cooked with condensed soup may be cheaper than picking up a frozen item or ordering out. Consumers just need a reminder. Even within Campbell’s own portfolio, the company can elevate brands that have more value now, even if they may not always get the limelight.
The open question is whether the shift in behavior will begin to show up in the results of the companies that have raised prices. Campbell’s overall net sales grew 5% for the quarter ended April 30, while gross profit margins held steady around 30%. But the category-level results were more uneven. U.S. soup sales declined 11%, though the company said that was owed to comparisons with the quarter when supply chains reopened a year ago and expressed confidence that the category is seeing a longer-term resurgence as more people cook at home following the pandemic. Snacks, which includes Goldfish and Pepperidge Farm, were up 12% And while net sales increased overall, the amount of products people are buying is declining. Volumes were down 7%.
These are trends happening across the grocery store. Campbell is continuing to compete. It is leading with iconic brands, and a host of different ways to consume them. It is following that up with innovation that makes the products stand out. Then, it is driving home messaging that shows consumers how to fit the products into their lives, and even their tightening spending plans.
Campbell Soup is more than 150 years old, and has seen plenty of difficult economic environments. It is also a different business today, and will continue to evolve. At the end of the day, continued execution is what’s required.
“If it's good food, people are going to buy it, especially if it's a great value,” Clouse said.