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On the Move: New Bonobos CEO, Hormel names head of Brand Fuel

Plus, a look at where Amazon alums are bringing their expertise, and leadership hires at KDP, Shipt and UNFI.

On the Move: New Bonobos CEO, Hormel names head of Brand Fuel

Welcome to On the Move. Every week, The Current is rounding up the coming and goings of leaders at brands and retailers across the ecommerce, retail and CPG landscape.

This week, Hormel Foods named the leader of a new innovation hub, Bonobos has a new CEO and Amazon veterans joined Squarespace and Hims & Hers. Plus, new supply chain leadership is coming aboard at Keurig Dr. Pepper and UNFI.

Here are the latest arrivals and departures:

Scott Aakre was named senior vice president of Brand Fuel at Hormel Foods. The leadership promotion follows Hormel’s announcement that it would evolve its operating model and stand up Brand Fuel, a new center of excellence that serves as the hub for innovation, consumer and shopper insights, brand diagnostics and supporting technology. The center will also house the company’s digital experience group, as well as the ecommerce and digital content team. Aakre joined the company in 1990, and was appointed to his most recent role of vice president of corporate innovation and new product development in 2011. Hormel Foods is a Fortune 500 company that oversees 30 brands, including Planters, Skippy and Spam.

Scott Aakre (Courtesy of Hormel Foods)

John Hutchison was named the new CEO at Bonobos, which he called “the OG digitally native vertical brand,” WWD reported. Hutchison joined the Walmart-owned apparel brand after roles at The North Face and Nike, and was most recently the president of fitness company TRX, and led a turnaround effort there. Hutchison succeeded Micky Onvural, who left the company in January. COO/CFO David Meir Sasson had been leading the company in the interim, and is now set to depart, as well.

Alison Loehnis is set to step into the interim CEO role at Italian fashion ecommerce platform Yoox Net-a-Porter on Oct. 31. Loehnis succeeds Geoffroy Lefebvre, who is stepping down to pursue a “private equity-backed entrepreneurial career” after 11 years with Net-a-Porter owner Richemont. Loehnis currently serves as president of Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet. She will serve in the interim CEO role until the closing of a deal that will see Richemont sell its stake in Net-a-Porter to Farfetch and Alabbar. At that point, an external CEO will be named.

Alison LoehnisAlison Loehnis. (Courtesy of Yoox Net-a-Porter)

Anne Bramman will step down from the role of chief financial officer at Nordstrom, effective Dec. 2. Bramman became the retailer’s CFO in 2017, and CEO Erik Nordstrom said her “leadership has been vital in helping us in many areas, particularly navigating the numerous challenges of the last few years.” Michael Maher, who is SVP and chief accounting officer, will serve as CFO in the interim while the company conducts a formal search.

Nathan Gooden was named chief financial officer and treasurer of Squarespace, the website builder that offers online selling tools. Gooden most recently served as CFO of Amazon Alexa Worldwide, and has more than two decades of financial leadership experience through firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.

Hims & Hers, the telehealth platform that provides access to treatment in areas including hair loss, dermatology and primary care, made two leadership appointments:

  • Brian O’Shaughnessy was appointed chief communications officer. The first person to hold the title at the company, O’Shaughnessy previously led communications functions at Google and Skype.
  • Josh Krueger was named VP of Fulfillment Operations. He brings over a decade of fulfillment leadership experience from Walmart, Amazon, QVC and GameStop.
  • This news follows additional hires this year, including Chief Financial Officer Yemi Okupe, Chief Growth OfficerMike Chiand SVP of Human Resources Amee Parekh.

Masiar Tayebi was promoted to the role of EVP, chief strategy and information officer at food solutions company SpartanNash. Tayebi joined the company in April 2021 as chief strategy officer, and is now gaining the additional executive title overseeing the IT function. Tayebi previously served as Global Head of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Whirlpool Corporation, and COO of Yummly.

Masiar Tayebi. (Courtesy of SpartanNash)

Mary-Farrell Tarbox was hired as VP of physical stores and retail operations at REI Co-op. REI chief commercial officer Cameron Jones called Tarbox “a proven leader in omni-channel operations.” Tarbox previously served as a regional vice president at Bed, Bath and Beyond, overseeing 370 stores. She also held senior leadership roles at Crate & Barrel, Petsmart, Inc. and Target Corporation.

Shipt, the on-demand delivery company owned by Target, made two key executive moves:

  • Alia Kemet was hired as chief marketing officer, overseeing brand, creative, consumer insights and growth marketing. Kemet brings experience from Nike, Whole Foods Market, IKEA and McCormick & Company.
  • Smrutha Ipparthi was promoted to chief product officer. Ipparthi joined the team in 2021, and most recently served as VP of engineering. She previously held roles at MGM Resorts International, Macy's and Arteza.

Alia KemetAlia Kemet. (Courtesy of Shipt)

Keurig Dr Pepper announced a reorganization in its supply chain structure. This included the promotion of three leaders into new roles:

  • Tony Milikin will depart the company as chief supply chain officer. He joined the company in September 2021, and led the company during the supply shocks of the ensuing months.
  • Roger Johnson was promoted to chief supply chain officer. He is currently chief product officer at the company. He helped to establish an operations center in Singapore, and was the principal architect of the company’s brewer innovation strategy.
  • Christopher Martin was promoted to SVP of coffee supply chain. He most recently served as SVP of logistics operations.
  • Paul DaRosa was promoted to SVP of cold beverages supply chain. He most recently served as SVP of quality, employee health and safety and technical services.
Erin Horvath joined United Natural Foods (UNFI) as chief supply chain transformation officer. Horvath brings “a wealth of experience, including a unique combination of strategy execution, operations, customer analytics, and software implementation,” said CEO Sandy Douglas. She joins from wholesale pharmaceutical company AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and brings prior experience from Smart and Associates and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting.
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