In a year marked by seemingly endless employee turnover at all levels, it became hard to keep up with who was heading where, and why. Driven by factors such as COVID-related fatigue, or simply a willingness to try new things, plenty of marketing execs headed for the exits in 2021. Below, a look at some of the biggest marketing executive moves.
See Ad Age's 2021 Year in Review here.
Carolyn Everson: The high-profile exec pulled off a double exit in 2021, first in June leaving Facebook, where she had served as head of the global business group and a liaison to the ad industry. A couple of months later, Instacart snared her for the president's role, giving the e-commerce brand known for grocery delivery a jolt as it stepped up competition with Amazon and Walmart. But Everson made a surprising departure from Instacart just three months into the job, with the company in December announcing there was a "clear mismatch between our priorities and the role she wanted at this point in her career."
Read more: Why Carolyn Everson left Facebook and what it means for advertisers
Read more: The ad industry reacts to Carolyn Everson's exit from Facebook
Lou Paskalis: The outspoken media maven left Bank of America in June, where he served as senior VP of customer engagement and media planning. In the following months, his social media followers were treated to pictures of him hop-scotching the globe, often enjoying fine wine. In October he joined the MMA as global president and chief operating officer. The trade group was formerly known as the Mobile Marketing Association.
Read more: Why the death of the cookie is threatening multi-touch attribution
Andrea Zahumensky: Her April exit as KFC U.S. chief marketing officer is among several big changes this year at the chicken chain, including a search for a new ad agency.
Read more: Will Colonel Sanders survive KFC's marketing overhaul?
Tariq Hassan: Petco lost a high-profile marketer when Hassan left the pet chain in August to become McDonald’s U.S chief marketing and digital customer experience officer.
Carla Hassan: It was a big year for the Hassan family. Carla Hassan, who is married to Tariq Hassan, also made a move, joining JPMorgan Chase in July as its chief marketing officer. That followed a nearly-one year stint as CMO at Citi, one of Chase’s top financial rivals.