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| Asad Ayaz |
The Walt Disney Company names Asad Ayaz to lead its newly established enterprise marketing and brand organization. Ayaz has been with Disney since 2005, most recently as chief brand officer. He has also served as president of marketing for Disney Entertainment and was EVP and head of theatrical marketing for the Disney Live Action, Pixar, Marvel, Disney Animation and Lucasfilm units. As chief brand and marketing officer, Ayaz will oversee marketing teams across the company to support a more connected approach to how it elevates its campaigns and advances the business goals of each segment and the company as a whole. He will report to CEO Bob Iger and to the segment chairs. “It’s clear that we need a company-wide role that ensures brand consistency and allows consumers today to seamlessly interact with our wonderful products and experiences. The Chief Marketing and Brand Officer role is critical for this moment, and Asad is the perfect fit,” said Iger.
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| Beth Leonard |
Kaiser Permanente, which provides integrated healthcare services, is bringing on Beth Leonard as SVP and chief public affairs officer, effective Feb. 2. Leonard was most recently chief corporate affairs officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, leading a team responsible for managing all internal and external relationships. She was previously chief corporate affairs officer at EmblemHealth, a New York not-for-profit health plan. She has also served as EVP of public affairs and strategic initiatives for AHIP (formerly America’s Health Insurance Plans), and worked on presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral campaigns. In her new role, Leonard will lead all communications, government relations, and community relations activities at the federal, state and local levels. “Beth is an extraordinary communications strategist and skilled advocate for high quality, affordable health care,” said Kaiser Permanente EVP, enterprise strategy and business development Sam Glick.
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| Delia Osegueda |
AIC Hotel Group, which operates such brands as Nobu Hotels, Hard Rock Hotels, AVA Resort and Spa and the UNICO Collection, hires Delia Osegueda as VP, global partnerships. Osegueda joins AIC from all-inclusive resort company Blue Diamond Resorts, where she was most recently director of global contracting and account development. In her new post, Osegueda will spearhead the company’s efforts to drive international growth and amplify its presence with partners in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. “She has worked with a diverse range of clients and partners, and her expertise with global markets will be instrumental in supporting the company’s continued growth,” said AIC Hotel Group VP, sales, marketing and e-commerce.
Jim O’Leary, Weber Shandwick global president and North America CEO, has joined Penta Group, the DC corporate advisory, as CEO.
ROKK Solutions has named Amy Fox chief corporate communications officer to oversee its new corporate affairs unit.
Orchestra adds Andrew Bates and Kristen Orthman to its advisory practice. Both of them worked in the Biden administration... DeepIntent, a healthcare demand-side platform, appoints Ian Colley as CMO... Fanatics Commerce, a direct-to-consumer platform within sports apparel and fan gear company Fanatics, names Jamie Gersch CMO... Cboe Global Markets, a global markets operator and pioneer in equity derivatives, hires Julie Bauer as SVP, head of government relations.
August brings on Andrew Jarrell as a managing director in its New York office. Jarrell comes to the agency from Group Gordon, where he most recently served as chief strategy officer... PSD, which produces activewear and underwear worn by and made for professional athletes, hires Dan Harbison as SVP of marketing and Monica Lin as VP of brand marketing... UKG, an AI platform that combines HR, pay and workforce management, names Vitor De Souza chief communications officer. 
Dezenhall Resources brings on Jessica DeLoach as VP. DeLoach was previously deputy director of public and media relations at the Southern Poverty Law Center... Crowe Media hires Alissa Kasawdish as senior integrated PR manager. Kasawdish was previously an account supervisor at J/PR... Benefitbay, a SaaS platform that lets users make their own benefit decisions, names Lindsey Unterberger as VP of marketing.
