New Marketing Chiefs at Sears, Kmart

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/29/2008 12:00:00 AM

Hoffman Estates, Ill. — —

Hoffman Estates, Ill. —In the wake of the Aug. 29 departure of Sears Holdings chief marketing officer (cmo) Maureen McGuire, the retailer has announced three new executive postings.

Richard Gerstein has been promoted to svp marketing at the corporate level. Formerly a health and beauty consumer goods marketing executive with a stint at Procter & Gamble, Gerstein joined Sears Holdings as chief marketing officer of the Sears division in August 2007.

With Gerstein's promotion, the Sears cmo post has been assigned to Don Hamblen, promoted from vp, marketing and planning, Sears.

The new Kmart cmo is Mark Snyder, recruited from the Intercontinental Hotels Group, where he was svp of global brand management for the Holiday Inn family of brands. Snyder previously worked in marketing at Hilton Hotels and Harrah's Entertainment.

The Sears Holdings cmo position, reporting to chairman Edward Lampert, was created in October 2005, when McGuire joined the company.