April 2025 saw significant shifts in global marketing leadership, with Honch tracking 9,612 new marketers appointed. For global marketing agencies and tech providers targeting marketing teams, these appointments present timely opportunities to engage decision-makers precisely as they're setting new strategies and allocating budgets.

Over 9,600 Marketers Taking Charge

Honch covers new hires across senior marketing roles, including CMOs, VPs, and Directors. Key appointments in April include:

• Deltek: Dan Barnhardt, CMO
• Zoom: Kimberly Storin, CMO
• Starbucks: Michael Kotick, VP of Marketing & Innovation
• DAZN: Adam Knappy, Chief Marketing & Customer Officer
• Wise: Lucas Bergmans, Global Marketing Director
• JABRA: Sandrine Desbarbieux-Lloyd, SVP Global Marketing
• JD.COM: Chris Ferguson, Marketing Director
• Olympus: Nicholas MacMillan, Director of Global Product Marketing
• Merlin Entertainments: Nick Bevan, Marketing Director, UK Theme Parks
• Cleverchefs: Jihane Rodriguez, Marketing Director

Promotions Creating New Opportunities (4,006 in April)

Promotions often lead to fresh strategic directions and open doors for new tech and agency partnerships. Significant promotions include:

• Intrepid Travel: Hazel McGuire, CMO
• Specsavers: Victoria Simson-Clarke, Marketing Director – Brand
• PolyAI: Kylie Whitehead, VP of Brand & Marketing
• Diageo: Violeta Andreeva, Marketing & Innovation Director, Global Travel
• Accolade Wines: Tom Smith, Marketing and Category Director
• Sportsman's Warehouse: Susan Sanderson-Briggs, CMO
• Palo Alto Networks: Unnikrishnan Punni, Senior VP of Marketing (Americas)
• Procter & Gamble: Louie Morante, Global Communications Director, Olympic & Paralympic Partnership
• Les Mills (US): Owen Desai, Senior Marketing Lead

CEO Changes Signal New Marketing Directions

Over 700 CEOs took new positions, potentially reshaping marketing strategies and tech adoption. Key CEO moves include:

• Discord: Humam Sakhnini, set to deepen gaming and monetisation strategies.
• Spirit Airlines: Dave Davis steering a shift towards premium branding.
• Entain: Stella David driving strategic growth, particularly via BetMGM.
• Nestlé Americas: Jeff Hamilton prioritising continued regional growth.
• Mr Porter: Toby Bateman focusing on reinvigorating luxury positioning.
• B&B Hotels USA: Amir Mustafa aiming to enhance customer engagement.
• Volvo: Håkan Samuelsson returning to push innovation and technological advancement.
• ABN Amro: Marguerite Berard taking the helm to streamline operations and profitability.

Marketing Buzz & Sustainability Initiatives

April featured 8,056 brands actively discussing new marketing initiatives surrounding events, sponsorship, website launches and other areas. Sustainability remains a powerful theme, with 7,795 brands prioritising ESG and CSR initiatives, presenting prime opportunities for purpose-led marketing approaches.

Honch continually monitors these pivotal marketing moments, empowering marketing agencies and tech companies to proactively connect with key decision-makers.

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