Sales & Marketing Collective: April 2025

Welcome to the April 2025 edition of The Sales & Marketing Collective from [axr] Recruitment & Search.

This is a bumper edition with plenty of movement, particularly across sales and senior commercial leadership. Sales made up over half of the moves this month, with a notable number of National Account Managers making lateral moves or taking on bigger roles.

We’re also seeing a spike in cross-industry shifts from FMCG into other sectors. While marketing moves were slightly lighter in volume, they were rich in diversity, spanning brand, comms, digital, and CX. The category space remained steady, with several strategic hires at the intersection of trade and shopper.

Here are the key moves from the last month:

Senior Appointments 

• Steve Wrightson joins Aryzta as Commercial Director, moving from UCC Coffee where he was GM – ANZ.
• Robbie Lawson has stepped into the role of GM Commercial & Strategic Solutions – Everyday Needs at Cartology, after his time as Industry Lead at Google.
• Sam Way also joins Cartology as GM Commercial & Strategic Solutions – Food, transitioning from Coca-Cola Company, where he was VP Digital Acceleration.
• Olga Zanetti takes on the role of Managing Director at SodaStream, having previously been Head of Merchandise at Coles.
• Laurent De Meyer joins VidaCorp as GM – Wellness, leaving his role as Marketing Director – ANZ at Abbott.
• Rebecca Yeates has been appointed Commercial Director at L’Oréal, after serving as GM Sales – Away From Home at Asahi Beverages.
• Nick Bradbury steps into the role of Executive Manager – National Buying at ALDI, previously Commercial Sales Director at Refresco.

Sales Appointments 

• Lucy Barreto joins Manassen Foods as National Account Manager, moving from Sanulac Nutritionals.
• Tara Koger takes on a Business Development Manager role at DetMold Group after her time as National Account Manager at Krispy Kreme.
• Hayden Shepherd is now Head of Sales at StrangeLove, previously Senior National Account Manager at Nexba.
• Joel Gocher moves to Accolade Wines as National Account Executive, coming from Pernod Ricard where he was Regional Executive.
• Eddie James joins Baiada Poultry as National Account Manager, transitioning from Murray River Pet Food.
• Daniel Cernot has been appointed Head of Sales NSW & ACT at Reward Hospitality, coming from Nisbets where he was Sales Manager – ANZ.
• Zaira Rocchi moves to Moet & Chandon as Brand Manager – Chandon, after her role as Brand Manager – Johnnie Walker at Diageo.
• Bradley Dutton has joined Hill’s Pet Nutrition as Channel Lead – National Omni Accounts, leaving Reckitt where he was Senior National Account Manager.
• Imogen Jones takes on the role of Head of Sales – Department Stores & Emerging Channels at Revlon, previously National Business Manager at Coty.
• Chris West joins Henkel as Senior National Account Manager after his time as National Account Manager at Primo.
• Alicia Cavanagh is now Field Sales Manager at Suntory Oceania, previously NSW Field Sales Manager at PepsiCo.
• Bryn Randall steps into the role of National Sales Manager at Kreglinger Wine Estates, after working as National Business Manager at Accolade Wines.
• Adam Confoy joins Real Dairy as National Key Account Manager, coming from Unilever.
• Juan Guzman makes the move to Botany Group as National Account Manager – Pharmacy, previously Customer Business Manager – Pharmacy at Nestlé.

Marketing Appointments 

• Lena Peacock Bax has joined Veolia as Head of Communications & PR, following her time as Head of Marketing & Communications at Urban Property Group.
• Tierra D’Souza takes on a Social Media Specialist role at Al Aseel, moving from Build-A-Bear Workshops.
• Anelieza Nyman joins Greystar as AU Marketing Manager, leaving Charter Hall where she was Senior Marketing Manager.
• Mark Sommer has moved to Sydney Tools as Marketing Manager, previously Marketing & Communications Manager at Hanson Australia.
• Hayley Phillips steps into the role of Senior Manager, Brand & Product Marketing at Hyundai, after her time at Metro Finance.
• Avalon Ible remains in the Brand Manager space, moving from Beiersdorf to Karma Drinks.
• Kate Warren joins Xero as Lifecycle Marketing Lead, having been Global B2B Lifecycle Marketing Lead at Afterpay.
• Keith Tan takes on a new challenge at Nine as Senior Manager, CX Engagement, moving from Nous Group.
• Alexandra O’Neill joins Football Australia as Brand Marketing Manager – AFC Women’s Asian Cup, transitioning from her role as Head of Brand Marketing ANZ at Bastion.
• Melissa Marschall has been appointed Marketing Lead at Evolus, after serving as Marketing Manager at En Vogue.
• Shannon Reynolds moves to Wine Selectors as Marketing Campaign Manager, leaving her role as Cellar Door Manager at Hart & Hunter.
• Adam Lee has taken on the role of Head of Brand Experience at Rebel Sport, after working as a Marketing Consultant at Teachers Health.
• Tilley Meddemmen joins the AFL as Communications Lead, having previously worked as a Marketing & Communications Specialist at PwC.

Category Appointments

• Matteo Pivan joins Danone as Head of Category Management & Channel Development, moving from Bayer where he was Head of Trade Marketing & Shopper Marketing ANZ. 
• Madeleine Brazel steps into the role of Category Manager at KitchenAid ANZ, after working as Assistant Category Manager – Beauty at Dyson. 
• Clare McGee joins Red Bull as Category Development Manager, leaving Danone where she was Channel & Category Development Manager.