McDermott & Bull Recruits Marketing Officers at San Manuel Casino and Evangelical Christian Credit Union
September 10, 2018 – As business becomes more global and complex, and power shifts from producers of goods and services to consumers, the chief marketing officer’s job of planning and coordinating marketing activities has become more challenging, recruiters say. Yet executive search firms are seeing no shortage of assignments for this important C-level post.
Irvine, CA-based search firm McDermott & Bull recently placed Rikki Tanenbaum and Mark Middlebrook as chief marketing officers at San Manuel Casino and Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECCU), respectively.
San Manuel Casino
The search for Ms. Tanenbaum was conducted by managing partner Chris Bull, along with principal consultant Rob Gross and senior recruiting associate Tara Steven. “Rikki is an absolute star,” said Mr. Bull. “She is an accomplished marketing leader within the gaming industry and is excited for this opportunity to join San Manuel Casino. We look forward to seeing the changes she brings to San Manuel.”
Ms. Tanenbaum has a deep background and expertise in the gaming industry, beginning her career in marketing at MGM Resorts International. She has extensive insight into all aspects of marketing, player development and loyalty, along with experience in opening new hotels/casinos. Before joining San Manuel Casino, Ms. Tanenbaum served as vice president of marketing at Hollywood Casino, VP of marketing at Caesars Entertainment Corp. and SVP and chief marketing officer at Golden Nugget Casinos.
San Manuel Casino boasts having the most slot machines on the West Coast and is rated among the top casinos in the country. Since 1986, the casino has grown from a few hundred employees to over 3,000, making San Manuel Band of Mission Indians one of the largest employers in the region.
Evangelical Christian Credit Union
The search for Mr. Middlebrook was led by Brandon Biegenzahn, president of McDermott & Bull and the firm’s financial institutions practice co-chair; Bill Brewer, principal consultant; and recruiting associate Kathryn Pulford. “Mark is ideal to help lead ECCU’s creative strategy and brand development efforts as the organization looks to deliver greater value to its member base,” said Mr. Brewer.
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“We are pleased to partner closely with ECCU in filling critical roles,” said Mr. Biegenzahn. “Mark is an excellent fit for the role and aligns strongly with the culture of ECCU.”
McDermott & Bull’s search process identified close to 300 candidates throughout the U.S. Each candidate embodied the technical skill-set ECCU was seeking and brought diversity of thought to the interview process. “The end result was absolutely ideal for ECCU – the right technical fit coupled with philosophical alignment,” the search firm said.
Most recently, Mr. Middlebrook served as the senior vice president, marketing technology manager for City National Bank. He worked for City National Bank for close to 20 years in various progressive leadership roles which included interactive marketing, customer experience, channel management for eCommerce and product management for eCommerce. Prior to working for City National Bank, Mr. Middlebrook worked for Union Bank of California and Home Savings of America. He is also an adjunct professor for the business school at Cal Baptist University.
With a history dating back more than 50 years, ECCU has grown to become the leading banking resource serving more than 1,600 church and ministry members with accounts and financing and over 4,200 missionary members in 119 countries with low-cost international banking services.
McDermott & Bull was founded in 2001 and is now the 29th largest executive search firm in the Americas, where it serves clients in the technology, financial services, manufacturing, biotech & life sciences, retail and professional services sectors. Since the advent of MB Interim Leaders in 2011, McDermott & Bull has served both the permanent and interim needs of its clients.
Chief Marketing Officers
Current business landscape demands have increased the contribution from chief marketing officers, according to the latest research report from Forrester and Heidrick & Struggles. The survey found that CMOs are building strong relationships with the head of product and research & development to prepare the organization for digital disruption.
“We see CMOs moving beyond functional expertise to assume responsibility for driving overall growth within their organizations,” said Sheryl Pattek, VP, CMO executive partner at Forrester. “They are evolving into key strategic partners on the executive team, and know that collaboration with the rest of the C-suite will be instrumental to their success.”
That said, companies continue to turn to executive search firms to fill this vital C-level position. Here’s a look at a few recent assignments taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Ventura Partners recently recruited Dave Larson to become the chief marketing officer of 5.11 Tactical Inc. in Irvine, CA. Bob Damon led the assignment. Encompassing top-tier athletic brands, Mr. Larson’s career includes executive marketing roles with Nike, Reebok, Brooks Running and Under Armour.
Caldwell Partners recruited Lorraine Barber-Miller as SVP and CMO for ADP in Roseland, NJ. Jim Bethmann, managing partner and co-leader of Caldwell’s TMT & IT services and information security practices, led the search along with partner Avo Oudbachian. Previously, Ms. Barber-Miller served as VP for IBM’s global business services, C-suite and blockchain marketing.
Executive search firm DHR International just recruited industry veteran Brad Haley as senior vice president and chief marketing officer of IHOP Restaurants. Managing partner Ken Schwenke and partner Christine DeYoung led the assignment. Before joining IHOP, Mr. Haley served as CMO of CKE Restaurants.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
