People on the Move: CHS, Shop24 & Nat Sherman

NATIONAL REPORT - CHS Inc., parent company of the Cenex brand of convenience stores and fuel stations, named Adam Holton senior vice president of human resources, effective March 3. He will report to Shirley Cunningham, executive vice president of enterprise strategy.

Holton joins CHS from GE Healthcare in Waukesha, Wis., where he most recently served as a senior human resources executive, leading HR functions for GE Global Services. Holton has held a wide range of human resource leadership roles within GE Healthcare over the past decade, including leading global HR teams in seven different regions.

Holton earned a bachelor's of science degree in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduation, he served for six years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer. In 2004-2005, he led a reserve unit that deployed to Al Anbar Province, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In other people news:

Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems hired award-winning branding and strategic marketing expert Michael McMillan as chief branding officer. He will be responsible for leading branding and marketing initiatives aimed at driving business objectives and building brand preference and equity for Heartland products and services.

For 20 years, McMillan was CEO of McMillan Associates, a visual communications firm he founded in 1984. Recently, he toured globally as an inspirational speaker and was president of McMillan Media, where he focused on thought leadership and consulting engagements on the topics of creative thinking, innovation and making positive change.

McMillan produced Michael Jordan’s New York Times best-selling pictorial autobiography, "Rare Air," and also has written three critically acclaimed books: "Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions," "The ‘I’ in Team: Missing Ingredients for Team Success," and "Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box."

Nat Sherman International

Nat Sherman promoted two executives and appointed an industry professional to its corporate leadership team. Michael Herklots was promoted to vice president, Retail & Brand Development, while Brendon B. Scott was promoted to vice president/chief financial officer, and Matt Spillane joined the company as vice president of national sales for Nat Sherman cigarette products. In these positions, Herklots, Scott and Spillane will sit on the executive committee.

Herklots, a certified master tobacconist, is responsible for developing and innovating Nat Sherman’s cigar offerings and wholesale distribution, as well as overseeing and expanding the company's retail business at the iconic Nat Sherman Townhouse in New York City, and in conjunction with other retail partners throughout the United States.

Scott, who joined Nat Sherman in 2009, will continue to be responsible for the financial management of the business and operations. As a certified public accountant with more than two decades of professional experience, he has worked with several of the country’s foremost accounting and finance firms, including Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Spillane, an accomplished industry veteran with more than 15 years of beverage and tobacco experience, will be responsible for overseeing sales and distribution of Nat Sherman cigarette products. Spillane has held various management positions with such leading firms as Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Pepsi Bottling Group and Philip Morris USA.  

Shop24 Global LLC

Shop24 Global appointed Matthew Pliskin as chief operating officer. In his new role, Pliskin will focus his efforts on accelerating the rollout of company-owned stores, streamlining business processes and enhancing the company's marketing efforts.

Pliskin was most recently president of Karbon Arms LLC and a managing director in the Direct Investment Group at Sandell Asset Management, a $6-billion hedge fund.

VMR Products

VMR Products, maker of V2 Cigs, appointed Adam Kustin as vice president of marketing. He joins VMR to lead the development and execution of marketing and communication strategies, on a global scale, for the company's V2 Cigs electronic cigarette brand and several new product lines that will be launched shortly.

Kustin comes to VMR with two decades of brand marketing experience. He was most recently with Shelton Group, where he served as president, leading the client service, strategy, insight and creative functions for the marketing communications firm.

Last year, V2 Cigs announced a strategic partnership with National Tobacco Co. to develop and deliver a new line of electronic cigarette products to the traditional retail market. An online-first brand, V2 Cigs products are now sold in more than 30,000 retail outlets nationally.