People on the Move: Arctic Glacier Premium Ice, Avery Dennison & Circana

Arctic Glacier Premium Ice

As part of an expanding growth strategy, Arctic Glacier Premium Ice brought on board Jay Ellis as the new chief commercial officer (CCO). As part of his responsibilities, Ellis will lead the sales and marketing team, identifying new market opportunities and forging strategic partnerships for company growth and long-term profitability.

"Arctic Glacier builds enduring partnerships from a foundation of trust and excellence," said Peter Laport, CEO of Arctic Glacier. "Jay shares our vision to deliver premium ice products with unparalleled service to our valued customers. His expertise will bring Arctic Glacier into new areas."

Ellis brings a wealth of experience from consumer packaged goods (CPG), food and beverage companies. He most recently served as vice president of sales for beverage company Humm Kombucha, where he oversaw the leadership, strategy and business plan to drive top-line revenue. Previously, Ellis was CCO of Bonduelle Fresh Americas and held leadership roles at Nestlé, Gillette and Johnson & Johnson.

Avery Dennison Corp.

Julie Vargas, vice president and general manager of Avery Dennison Corp., has been named one of the 2024 Top AI Leaders by RETHINK Retail as part of its newly launched AI in Retail (AiR) program. 

The list highlights 150 leaders across 10 categories who are driving artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, including retailers, brands, technology, investors, ethicists and more. RETHINK Retail defines Top AI Leaders as individuals who are thought leaders and innovators setting trends in the application of AI within the retail sector.

The award recognized Vargas' leadership in four key areas: inventory and supply chain management; sustainability and waste reduction; checkout and payment solutions; and customer behavior and foot traffic analysis.

Honorees will join RETHINK Retail's existing communities of Top Retail Experts and Global Retail Leaders to collaborate on addressing key industry challenges. 

Circana

Circana promoted Holly Knightly from executive vice president of global finance, performance and transformation to chief financial officer (CFO). Knightly will lead the global finance and strategy organization including planning, strategy, accounting, treasury, tax, reporting and investor relations.

"Holly is an accomplished finance and business executive who has successfully delivered strong results in dynamic environments at both public and private companies," said Kirk Perry, Circana president and CEO. "Throughout her time with Circana, Holly has continuously demonstrated effective leadership and instilled excellent operating discipline within our teams globally, and we look forward to her continued contributions in this new role."  

Knightly succeeds Anne Bramman, who helped transition operations from the organization's heritage companies, IRI and The NPD Group, into its current merged branding.

"It is an honor to serve as CFO at such an important moment in Circana's continued evolution as a unified organization," said Knightly. "Circana is well positioned to continue its leadership advising brands and retailers across sectors on how to grow well into the future."  

Harbor Foods

Harbor Foods appointed Jeff Keene as its new chief information officer, stationed out of the company's Lacey, Wash., headquarters. 

Keene has extensive practical process and technical solution experience, having been entrusted by three former CEOs to address challenges pivotal to the success of their businesses. His c-level expertise spans a diverse range of industries, including global manufacturing and distribution, consumer products, national lab and entertainment. 

Harbor hopes to utilize Keene's proficiency in building and mentoring teams on effective analysis techniques, cyber security impacts, process design and implementation methodologies to support the company's growth and innovation. 

Hilco Sweets

Hilco Sweets named Emily Edmondson the executive vice president for the company. In her new role, she will be a member of the executive team, managing the company's key accounts, national sales team and regional sales.

"Emily is an industry expert with an outstanding reputation, customer knowledge and trade knowledge," said Lou DiMarco, president at Hilco Sweets. "With a deep understanding of market dynamics across diverse sectors, Emily brings a unique blend of experience, innovative mindset, and strategic vision to drive success and growth to Hilco."

Edmondson is a seasoned sales director with more than 15 years of experience. She began her career in the novelty confections space at Galerie. Named the 2022 Woman of Influence for the National Confectioners Association, she managed both customers and brokers across a variety of classes of trade. Most recently she was the value team lead at Crayola.

Rovertown

Michael Caldwell joined Rovertown as its new customer success manager, enterprise. His responsibilities will include establishing a customer success program built specifically for the needs of enterprise clients. 

Caldwell previously served as Yesway's senior loyalty manager.

"I've known the Rovertown team for several years, and I've always admired the work they've done to move our industry forward," Caldwell said. "It's so important for the digital experience to match a brand's reputation and give customers that same 'feel good' feeling they get when they walk through the door."

Caldwell joined Yesway in 2017, where he helped build and grow its loyalty program from 35 stores to more than 435 stores following Yesway's 2019 acquisition of the Allsup's brand. Prior to joining Yesway, Caldwell spent nearly six years at family-owned restaurant chain Margaritas Management Group, where he also built a successful rewards program.

Caldwell's addition to the Rovertown team comes on the heels of several notable hires, including the recent onboarding of Tyler Cameron, formerly of MAPCO, as the company's head of strategy and analytics.