Buffkin Group Recruits Chief Marketing Officer for Youth Villages

October 26, 2016 – Executive search firm The Buffkin Group has recruited Jennifer Jones as chief marketing officer of Youth Villages. Roland Lundy, a partner with the firm, led the search.

Ms. Jones joins Youth Villages from Hilton Worldwide, where she served in various roles, including senior director brand marketing luxury and lifestyle brands as well as director of brand marketing and communications. Within these roles she directed and managed national advertising communications, including brand promotions; brand relationship marketing to new and loyal guests; and strategic partnerships (i.e Lance Armstrong Foundation, Nickelodeon, and Dreamworks).

Youth Villages is a nationally-recognized non-profit organization that helps children, young people and families. Programs include intensive in-home services for infants to 18 year olds, transitional living services for former foster children, residential treatment campuses and intensive residential treatment centers. Other programs provided include specialized crisis services, foster care, adoption and mentoring.

The Buffkin Group offers executive search, executive coaching, management assessment and executive outplacement services, but its primary focus is on recruiting executives in the healthcare, technology, marketing, media, financial services and non-profit sectors. The firm serves public, private, venture and private equity backed companies from offices in Brentwood, TN, New York, and Alexandria, VA, with affiliate offices in San Francisco and London. The firm has placed senior leaders for similar organizations, including United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), MEDHOST, Meritus Health, RestorixHealth, and Urgent Care of Connecticut. 

Recruiting Chief Marketing Officers

As business becomes more global and complex, and power shifts from producers of goods and services to consumers, a CMOs responsibility of planning and coordinating an organization’s marketing activities has become much more challenging, according to recruiters specializing in the function.

“Today’s CMO works with the CEO to accelerate the organization and drive transformation. CMOs also collaborate with other members of the C-suite, especially with a company’s top HR executive to shape the company brand,” said Christine DeYoung, a partner at DHR International. “As such, chief marketing executives are gaining rapidly in stature and influence in the C-suite.”

With that said, companies continue to use executive search firms to fill this important C-level position. Here’s a look at a few recent assignments taken from the Hunt Scanlon archives:

• BSG Team Ventures placed Robert Birdsong as chief marketing officer at Human Capital Institute (HCI). Mr. Birdsong was previously with CEB Global where he developed and led marketing strategy to achieve product positioning, brand awareness and lead generation for CEB’s talent management solutions.

• Polachi Inc. placed Julie Ginches as CMO of ViralGains, a leader in consumer-centric video distribution. Managing director Peter Polachi led the search. As a chief marketing officer with over 20 years of marketing experience, Ms. Ginches is recognized as an innovative digital change agent with a proven track for creating world class brands and marketing organizations.

• DHR International tapped Andy Donkin as chief marketing officer of Under Armour. Carlos Cata, a DHR managing partner in charge of the firm’s global CMO practice, and retail and consumer sector managing partner Frank Spencer, along with partner Julie Eakers, led the search. Mr. Donkin joins Under Armour from Amazon, where he served as head of worldwide mass and brand marketing.

• Calibre One recently recruited Jo Scarlett as chief marketing officer of PA Consulting Group. She joins from BT, where she was chief digital and marketing officer of the company’s global services division, leading an integrated marketing and communications function to support BT’s business in more than 180 countries around the world.

• Pi Executive recruited Angelique Bellmer Krembs as chief marketing officer of News America Marketing (NAM), a marketer and influencer for online and offline shoppers in the U.S. and Canada. Ms. Bellmer Krembs brings with her 22 years of expertise from PepsiCo, where she was known for leading iconic brands, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew and SoBe.

• Hanold Associates placed David Sarjantson as chief marketing officer at Denver-based Fortis Private Bank. Formerly with Microsoft as director of search engagement and relationship marketing, Mr. Sarjantson has extensive marketing experience in both transformative and growth environments.

• Accelent recruited Maria Pousa as chief marketing officer of Integral Ad Science (IAS). Most recently, Ms. Pousa served as senior vice president of global marketing at Mediaocean.

• Work&Partners LLC placed Mark Lewis as the first chief marketing officer for Clarity Solution Group, LLC. Mr. Lewis was formerly the practice lead at Slalom Consulting where he led marketing and development of the company’s products.

• Howard Fischer Associates placed Ruth Gaviria as chief marketing officer of Entercom Communications. Ms. Gaviria was previously executive vice president of corporate marketing at Univision, where she structured an integrated marketing organization, directed the brand strategy and architecture for the company’s portfolio of brands, developed an audience strategy and executed three highly successful Upfront presentations on the road to the company’s intended IPO.

Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media