Heidi Hovland
Heidi Hovland

Edelman names former DeVries Global CEO Heidi Hovland, global chair of its food & beverage offering, effective Feb. 22. Hovland comes to Edelman from HH Strategic Communications, which she founded in March 2020. At DeVries, she led more than 200 people in eight offices across North America, Europe and Asia, as well as putting together an integrated communication offering that included creative, strategy and data analytics capabilities. Before that, she was a senior partner, deputy general manager and consumer products lead at FleishmanHillard. At Edelman, Hovland will be based in New York, overseeing the food & beverage sector’s more than 500 employees. The agency has also promoted Alison Borgmeyer, general manager of its Food & Beverage Center of Excellence, to chair of US food & beverage. “Heidi’s integrated communications and corporate reputation experience, paired with Alison’s deep nutrition and industry knowledge is a dream team that will allow us to deliver programs for clients that enable action, not just communication,” said Edelman CEO Richard Edelman.

Emily Culp
Emily Culp

Genexa, which bills itself as maker of “the world’s first clean medicines” (i.e., without artificial fillers), appoints Emily Culp as chief marketing officer. Culp was previously CEO of clean beauty brand Cover FX. Before that, she was global CMO at Keds, and has also held positions at Unilever, Clinique and Ogilvy & Mather. At Genexa, Culp will lead all branding, marketing and eCommerce. The company, with investors that include Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Pratt, expanded its retail footprint into 45,000 stores nationwide in 2021. “Emily’s passion for and experience with mission-driven companies like ours will help us shape our voice and brand with customers,” said Genexa chair Brian Perkins.

Sophia Turner-Smith
Sophia Turner-Smith

Kelley Kronenberg, a business law firm with 12 locations throughout Florida and the United States, hires Sophia Turner-Smith as chief marketing officer. Turner-Smith joins the firm from Bradesco BAC Florida Bank, where she also served as CMO. She has also held executive marketing positions at Wunderman and the University of Miami. At Kelley Kronenberg, Turner-Smith oversees the firm’s marketing, branding, media relations, events management, advertising, digital marketing, client experience, and business growth functions. “Sophia’s depth of knowledge working in the corporate realm and with international companies is a perfect match for our firm’s diverse, entrepreneurial culture,” said Kelley Kronenberg CEO and principal partner Michael Fichtel.