WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Heineken USA Inc. has appointed Lesya Lysyj as the company's new chief marketing officer, effective February 28. She will join the company's management team and will report to president and CEO Dolf van den Brink. Lysyj brings more than 20 years of marketing consumer packaged goods, image and premium brands, much of which was spent as a CMO managing a broad portfolio of products.
In her new role, Lysyj will be responsible for developing long-term marketing strategies for the Heineken USA beer portfolio; overseeing Heineken USA's consumer-centric marketing [image-nocss] activities and social media initiatives and ensuring that the company effectively engages with its adult consumers at all touchpoints.
In her most recent role with Kraft Food's U.S. confectionery division, which generated $1.5 billion in revenue, Lysyj managed all aspects of marketing in four confectionery categories for brands including Trident, Halls and Toblerone. There, she implemented activations that helped Stride become the fastest growing gum in its category and pushed Trident to the No. 1 position. She also had significant impact on rejuvenating traditional consumer brands, returning Dentyne to growth after more than two years of share decline and implementing a new brand strategy for Halls that reversed four years of consecutive share decline.
Lysyj also formed and led Kraft's confectionery leadership team, whose purpose was to lead the organization in delivering top and bottom line commitments and effectively transition the Cadbury team into the Kraft organization. On the team, she acted as senior decision maker on inventory management, innovation stage gates, sales priorities and more.
Prior to working at Kraft, Lysyj served in various marketing, commercial and new product development roles for companies such as Cadbury Schweppes and Mott's.
"Along with her extensive experience in multi-brand consumer marketing and strong track record of reinvigorating brands in hard-to-tap markets, she has that intangible--the creative aptitude and competitive spark that will help our brands stand out in this competitive space," said van den Brink. "She also has a deep understanding of how the marketing function helps drive overall business strategy and we are confident her presence will be felt throughout the organization, driving us all towards our ambition of becoming the leading upscale beer company in the U.S."
White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV. European brands imported into the United States include Heineken Lager, Heineken Light, Amstel Light, Newcastle Brown Ale and Buckler nonalcoholic brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from Mexico.
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