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NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Deanie Elsner has been appointed to the newly created position of chief marketing officer at Kraft Foods Group Inc.
Kraft said Thursday that as the company’s first CMO, Elsner will be responsible for boosting Kraft’s roster of food and beverage brands with innovative marketing that spurs consumer engagement and fuels sales volume and growth. She reports directly to chief executive officer Tony Vernon.
"Establishing the CMO position will enable us to harness the power of these tremendous assets," Vernon stated. "Deanie is uniquely qualified to pioneer this role given her success in building some of the world’s most iconic brands throughout her 20-year career at Kraft."
With Kraft since 1992, Elsner most recently was president of the company’s beverage business, where she oversaw the manufacturing, marketing and sales of Maxwell House coffee, one of the Kraft’s billion-dollar brands, as well as Kool-Aid, Capri Sun, Country Time, Crystal Light, Gevalia and Tassimo. Under her leadership, the beverage business achieved one of the most successful new product introductions in Kraft’s history with the launch of MiO, a liquid water enhancer on pace to exceed $200 million in revenue, the company noted.
Before that, Elsner managed Kraft’s European coffee business and served in a variety of brand management positions at the company.
"I look forward to applying my knowledge of this business and its iconic brands to market and deliver innovative products that are in sync with today’s consumer lifestyles," Elsner commented.
Replacing Elsner in directing the beverage unit is Dino Bianco, who will serve as executive vice president and president of beverages and Canada. He most recently served as executive vice president and president of national businesses and marketing services. Bianco also was president of Kraft Canada for seven years.
Kraft Foods Group, with sales of about $19 billion, is the North American grocery business spun off in October from Kraft Foods Inc. The other new company formed, Mondelez International Inc., was Kraft Foods Inc.’s global snacks business, with revenue of about $31 billion.
The lineup of Kraft Foods Group brands includes such iconic names as Kraft, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Planters and Jell-O.
