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| Stuart Aitken |
Circana, an advisor on issues surrounding consumer behavior, names Kroger chief merchant and marketing officer Stuart Aitken as its president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2025. At Kroger, Aitken worked to increase the company’s focus on people and culture, data and insights, and shopper transformation. He has also served as CEO of 84.51°, Kroger’s data analytics arm, and its predecessor, dunnhumby USA. Aitken will succeed Kirk Perry, who has decided to retire from his role as Circana president and CEO and will continue to serve as a member of the company’s board of directors. “His passionate leadership, strategic and innovative mindset, and extensive experience across the retail, technology, and data/analytics industries will create value for our company, our people, and the clients we serve globally,” said chair of the Circana board Tod Johnson.
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| Sarah Mary Cunningham |
Align PR, an entertainment-focused firm that works with such clients as Matthew McConaughey, Madonna and Selena Gomez, adds Sarah Mary Cunningham to its New York-based team. Cunningham joins the agency from Columbia Records, where she had been VP of publicity since 2014, working with artists including Rosalia, Orville Peck and Quentin Tarantino. Before that, she was a VP at The Chamber Group, and held roles at Susan Blond Inc. and Rubenstein Associates. “Her reputation within the industry, as well as her nearly two decades of experience across so many aspects of the business, is a pivotal factor for new business development and the continued growth of align PR’s staff, as well as our client roster,” said company principal Nicole Perez-Kreuger. Align PR also has offices in Los Angeles, Miami and London.
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| Derek Coté |
Formation PR + Brand names Derek Coté creative director. Coté most recently served as director at Tungsten Branding, a brand name development agency. He was previously founder and creative director at Punqtive Creative and taught at both Wayne State University and Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. At Formation, Coté will lead the agency’s creative direction and be involved in all aspects of the creative and design process, from initial discovery and strategy to design execution. Formation CEO and founder Erica Allison said the Coté will be “instrumental in leading the agency’s next phase of growth.”
Dave Aglar, who was most recently integrated media lead for North America at Weber Shandwick, is moving to MikeWorldWide, where he will be chief integrated media & innovation officer.
Clario Group brings on Allison Worldwide co-founders Scott Allison and Andy Hardie-Brown as non-executive chairs... Montieth & Company promotes Perry Goldman to global managing director... Seed Health, a microbiome science company, names Anisha Raghavan as its first chief marketing officer.
CG Life, a specialized pharma agency, appoints Collette “Coco” Douaihy as chief creative officer. Most recently, Douaihy was global CCO, health at Dentsu International... Rational 360 brings on Alex Rosenwald as VP of conservative media relations and earned media... H2O America, which provides water service to over 1.6M people, appoints Michael Ambrozewicz as VP communications.
Tim Castree, who was most recently VP EU Prime & marketing at Amazon, comes on board at DoorDash as CMO.
Unlock Health names Greg Walsh CEO. He joins the agency from Havas Media Network... The US Consumer Product Safety Commission appoints Steve Roney as director of the office of communications... Madison Capital Group, a Charlotte real estate investment and operating company, brings on Lacy Bradford as CMO.
