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Dive Brief:
- As it continues to build out its team under new ownership, Instant Pot Brands has named Jerry Cook chief commercial officer and Zsuzsa Leber as executive vice president of marketing, e-commerce and consumer care.
- Cook most recently was chief customer officer at pet treats company TDBBS. In his new role, Cook is responsible for omnichannel initiatives, customer relationships and growth, and trade marketing and innovation.
- Leber’s previous experience includes leading Newell brands such as Oster, Mr. Coffee and Rubbermaid. In her new role, Leber will oversee product development, brand marketing and consumer care teams, and regularly interact with research and development and sales.
Dive Insight:
Previously a division within parent Instant Brands prior to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in June 2023, the new Instant Pot Brands has been adding executives as it ramps up operations.
Announced in April, the new leadership team includes Chris Robins as CEO, Craig Carrigan as CFO, Lisa Kronish as chief human resources officer and Rudy Sumarli as executive vice president of supply chain and research and development. Ian Railton, managing director of EMEA and Australia, also joined the team.
Robins said in a statement that Cook’s “proven track record in driving sales growth and building strong customer relationships will be invaluable as we continue to expand our presence in key markets." Leber, who most recently served as senior vice president at Space Coast Credit Union, “brings valuable industry experience and understands our customer and market landscape very well,” the executive added.
Following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year ago, Instant Brands sold its appliance business to private equity firm Centre Lane Partners last fall. While Instant Pot Brands created its own stand-alone business and website, Instant Brands emerged from Chapter 11 in February of this year as a lender-controlled company that markets houseware products under the Corelle, Pyrex, Snapware, CorningWare, Visions and Chicago Cutlery brands.
Instant Brands was founded by Robert Wang in 2009 and Wang is credited with having invented the Instant Pot. The company in 2019 merged with Corelle Brands.
Instant Pot Brands enjoyed early success when, in 2018, Kohl’s said the company sold 60 Instant Pots per minute on Thanksgiving. Sales of electronic multicooker devices — most coming from Instant Pot — were $758 million in 2020, but just two years later fell 50% to $344 million, The Wall Street Journal reported in March of 2023, citing NPD Group data.
via https://www.aiupnow.com
Howard Ruben, Khareem Sudlow
