On the Move: Chobani Adds Uber's Ranese as CMO

Thomas Ranese

Chobani, a food and beverage company originally known for its Greek yogurt, appoints former Uber chief marketing officer Thomas Ranese as its CMO, effective Aug. 14. Ranese was most recently interim CMO at Lingo, Abbott’s biowearables and health tech product unit. He has also been VP, global hardware marketing at Google, and as CMO of Empire State Development, oversaw New York State’s I LOVE NY tourism marketing campaign. "Thomas brings a unique combination of creativity and business acumen with deep expertise in brand building, digital strategy and integrated marketing that will be critical as we continue to innovate, scale our brand and drive growth in new categories,” said Chobani president and chief operations officer Kevin Burns.

Freeman Klopott

Marino adds Freeman Klopott to its team as a vice president in the agency’s public affairs practice. Klopott previously served as the first director of communications for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. He has also held several other executive marketing and communications positions in the New York State government, including press officer for the New York State Department of the Budget, Previously, Klopott was Albany reporter for Bloomberg and a writer for the Washington Examiner. He will bolster Marino's ability to serve clients looking to advance policy and land use initiatives. "His deep understanding of communications and politics, coupled with his experience in managing complex campaigns and crafting effective messaging, will enhance our ability to provide exceptional support to our clients,” said Marino president John F. Marino.

Emily Shanklin

Luminar, an automotive technology company, hires Emily Shanklin as senior VP, marketing. Shanklin comes to the company from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, where she most recently served as senior director, marketing & communications. Before joining SpaceX in 2008, Shanklin was VP, marketing & communications at Bayview Financial. At Lumniar, she will be responsible for driving and scaling the company’s vision to democratize next-generation safety and autonomy, reporting to Luminar founder and CEO Austin Russell. “Inspiring others around the impact of SpaceX’s efforts on the future of human space exploration was a key driver for the company’s mission, and it’s clear Emily knocked that out of the park,” said Russell. “Similarly, at Luminar she will be working to distill our advanced lidar and software/AI technology for the public.”