People Moves: Suja CMO Heather MacNeil Cox Departs

CMO Cox Leaves Suja, Greg Rose Joins

Suja CMO Heather MacNeil Cox, whose work with the company earned her a spot on Ad Age’s 2017 “40 Under 40” list, has left the company, Suja CEO Jeff Church told BevNET. According to Cox’s LinkedIn profile, she ended her three-and-a-half year tenure with the juice maker in May.

“We will miss Heather and she will forever be a part of the Suja legacy,” Church told BevNET via e-mail. “She led the marketing team for us during crucial phases of growth as we expanded rapidly, and left to pursue her dreams of developing and building smaller brands. We wish her all the best and have no doubt she will have continued success.”

In April, former General Mills marketing manager Greg Rose joined Suja first as Marketing Director before being appointed Vice President of Marketing following Cox’s departure. According to Church, Rose has assumed Cox’s responsibilities and there are no current plans to hire a new CMO.

“When Heather left Suja, we felt lucky to have a talented #2 on the team we could immediately elevate into the VP of Marketing role,” Church said. “He now reports to me and is leading all areas of marketing, from communications to product development. Greg is an extremely level headed, hard working marketer who is helping Suja focus and execute on top priorities.”

At the time of his hiring, Rose wrote about his decision to move from a large corporation to a smaller company on LinkedIn. Rose praised the energy and camaraderie of small companies and reflected on the challenges that come with such a move, such as a drop in financial resources.

Cox could not be reached for comment.

Deanna Fleming Leaving Harmless Harvest

Harmless Harvest’s vice president of marketing and innovation, Deanna Fleming, will leave the coconut water maker later this month after nearly two years with the company. Fleming will be making the jump to the outdoors apparel industry, joining Newell Brands Technical Apparel — which includes brands such as Marmot — as head of global sales.

“[It] was a tough decision to move, but an opportunity one could not pass up!” Fleming told BevNET in an e-mail. “[I am] trading in beverage for the wonderful world of outdoor retail. It’s an incredibly passionate industry, and the travel won’t disappoint.”

Fleming joined Harmless Harvest in December 2015 as a senior management consultant in the marketing department before taking her current position in October 2016. Brand manager Jenna Stephenson will be assuming some of Fleming’s responsibilities.

Target Adds Two New Food & Beverage Execs

Seeking to “accelerate the retailer’s food and beverage strategy,” Target announced Monday the hiring of two new senior food and beverage executives, according to a press release from the company.

Liz Nordlie and Mark Kenny, who hail respectively from General Mills and Walmart, will work to grow and refine Target’s grocery department.

Nordlie, who served as the vice president of General Mills’ baking division — overseeing the Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and Toaster Strudel brands among others — will act as Target’s vice president of product design and development for food and beverage. Her focus will be on building Target’s owned brands. She will report to Julie Guggemos, senior vice president of product design and development.

Kenny, previously senior director of private brand for Walmart, will act as vice president divisional for meat and fresh prepared food. He will report to Jeff Burt, senior vice president of food and beverage.

Role Shifts at DPS After Weiss Departure

The resignation of Bai founder and CEO Ben Weiss has sparked a reshuffle at the senior executive level at Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Last month, Executive Vice President of Human Resources Lain Hancock was announced as the new CEO of Bai. In his place, Brand Marketing SVP Jaxie Alt will take the HR position, the company announced in a press release.

“I am thrilled to welcome Jaxie to our executive leadership team. She blends strong business acumen and creativity with a talent for building and motivating engaged, results-driven teams,” said Larry Young, DPS president and CEO, in the release.

In addition, DPS Senior Vice President of Sales Andrew Springate has been newly appointed as the senior vice president and general manager of the Coca-Cola Affiliated Sales Organization (CASO). Vice President of Sales Development Jason Butter has been appointed as senior vice president and general manager of CASO.