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| Mark Kupferman |
CEC Entertainment, LLC, appoints Mark Kupferman as chief insights and marketing officer for the company's flagship brand, Chuck E. Cheese, and its virtual kitchen brands, including Pasqually's Pizza & Wings. Kupferman was most recently chief commercial officer at Ruth's Chris Steak House. Before that, he was SVP of consumer & guest experience at Six Flags Entertainment and led the research and insights teams at Universal Orlando and Paramount Parks. In his new post, Kupferman will lead all marketing functions, menu innovation and communications for Chuck E. Cheese, as well as its digital marketing and consumer journey initiatives. He will also oversee the entire Company's insights and research responsibilities. "His proven expertise and success across the restaurant and family entertainment business is a perfect complement with the most aggressive brand transformation in the Company's history," said CEC Enertaniment president and CEO David McKillips.
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| Sabrina Cheung |
Manulife Asia appoints Sabrina Cheung as chief communications officer. Cheung joins Manulife Asia from AXA, Asia and Africa where she served as chief brand and communications officer. She has also held global and regional leadership communications roles at Cigna International Markets, adidas Group, the Coca-Cola Company and McCann WorldGroup. Based in Hong Kong, Cheung will lead strategic communications, incorporating media relations, thought leadership, social media, colleague communications, content and events, supporting Manulife Asia across all the markets in which it operates. “Sabrina’s background across multiple disciplines, her passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and her experience across financial services and consumer product goods will help us think differently about the impact we can have with our communications for our Asia business,” said Manulife global chief communications officer Anne Hammer.
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| Karen Tran Wood |
IW Group, which specializes in multicultural youth marketing, promotes Karen Tran Wood to group director of entertainment marketing and publicity, a newly created role. Wood has been with the agency since 2020, most recently serving as director of publicity. In that position, she oversaw multicultural theatrical and television marketing and publicity campaigns for such clients as Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, Hulu and Fox, as well as leading the TikTok and influence marketing team. Before joining IW Group, Wood was at MPRM Communications. In her new post, she will oversee the growth of the agency’s entertainment marketing practice, focusing on diversifying its digital and creator/influencer offerings and spearheading the development of a new brand partnerships team. “Under Karen’s leadership, IW has helped our clients meet today’s modern audiences where they truly are—at the intersection of technology and culture,” said IW Group chief content officer and SVP Telly Wong.
Sphere Entertainment Co., an entertainment holding company that owns the Sphere event venue in Nevada and New York-based regional sports network chain MSG Networks, names Karen Laureano-Rikardsen global head of corporate marketing and communications....Fender Musical Instruments Corporation appoints Christina Stejskal as chief communications officer, a new position at the company....Herringbone, a digital marketing platform backed by Trinity Hunt Partners, names Dan Hinckley head of AI.
DGA Group has added Hilton alum Jonas Neihardt as a senior advisor to bolster its hospitality, travel and tourism offering.
Ed Harnaga, who most recently served as SVP, chief marketing and communications officer at Pfizer, joins Vantage Data Centers, which provides hyperscale data center campuses, in the chief marketing and communications officer spot.
Lucas Public Affairs, a Sacramento-based firm, adds Sallie Poggi, who has worked at both FleishmanHillard and APCO, as a VP. Most recently, Poggi was chief communications officer at the University of the Pacific... Allied Universal, a security and facility services company, brings on Melissa Butler as VP of communications. She was at Burson... Talk Shop Media, a firm that operates in Canada and the U.S., specializing in PR, corporate communications and social media, promotes Stuart Martin to managing director of its U.S West Coast operations.
The Estée Lauder Companies names Madeleine Boyd SVP, global brand communications. Most recently, she served as global SVP, beauty & wellness at Together Group... Cohen & Steers, a global investment manager specializing in real assets and alternative income, names Erik Schneberger as EVP, chief marketing officer... CooperVision, a contact lens company, brings on former Bayer VP Brenda Raphael as VO of marketing, Americas.
