Ann Arbor, Michigan-based AdAdapted, a shopping list marketing and insights platform for CPG brands, agencies and retailers, has hired Joshua Sukenic as VP and general manager of AdAdapted Direct and Alison O’Keefe as general manager of retail partnerships.
The addition of Sukenic and O’Keefe highlight AdAdapted’s continued emphasis on expanding into new business verticals and further diversifying its offerings for CPG brands, agencies and retailers.
“AdAdapted Direct and strategic retail partnerships are two key priorities for us in 2022 and beyond,” said Mike Pedersen, co-founder and CEO. “We are excited to have Josh and Alison join our executive team to lead these initiatives and drive continued company growth.”
As VP and GM of AdAdapted Direct, Sukenic will lead the product roadmap and the operational aspects of AdAdapted Direct, an on-demand, self-managed advertising solution built to make consumer marketing easy and accessible for businesses of all sizes.
His leadership will bring together a high-performing team for Direct that will help emerging CPG grocery retailers and their agencies scale and get in front of more shoppers using the easiest, most flexible self-service platform available.
Since the launch of AdAdapted Direct in September, Sukenic’s team has seen great success with customer usage and results. He has led the team to release new features of the solution, including new ad creative and template options that allow customers to easily build their own creative using AdAdapted Direct.
Prior to joining AdAdapted, Sukenic held leadership positions at data and analytics companies such as Morningstar Inc. and EBSCO. He also initiated and led global commercial excellence and digital transformation at Dawn Foods.
As general manager of retail partnerships for AdAdapted, O’Keefe is responsible for bringing in and managing retailer partnerships, as well as the strategy and evolution of AdAdapted’s shoppable add-to-cart technology product. O’Keefe’s leadership will facilitate retailers’ ability to leverage this technology, enabling a seamless customer experience that leads to incremental sales for CPG brands.
Prior to joining AdAdapted, O’Keefe served as head of marketing for a regional restaurant brand, Frisch’s Restaurants, helping the brand successfully pivot its digital strategy during the pandemic. Most relevant to her role as general manager of retail partnerships and AdAdapted, O’Keefe was part of the product, strategy and innovation team at 84.51°, building out Kroger Precision Marketing’s off-property retail media offering for their suppliers.
“I am confident that Josh and Alison will contribute greatly to our team as we continue to innovate and offer best-in-industry solutions that drive brands’ business growth,” said Pedersen. “Their experience will further AdAdapted’s mission of enabling brands and retailers to increase purchase intent and build awareness in this competitive space.”
