PG Parent Adds to Exec Team

EnsembleIQ, the Chicago-based parent company of Progressive Grocer, has made major changes to its executive team to help it bolster its information services offerings, expand and improve its portfolio of industry events, better deliver on its “content first” editorial directive, and sharpen its focus on strategic mergers and acquisitions.

“The primary objective at EnsembleIQ is to help people and their organizations succeed,” noted EnsembleIQ president and CEO, Peter Hoyt. “The best way to accomplish that goal is to have all the best people in all the right places.”

Richard Rivera has been named the new COO and president of information services. In his new role, he will be responsible for EnsembleIQ's production, IT and events departments, as well as its information services division, which encompasses research and database services. He most recently served as president and COO at Innovation Enterprise, a global, multichannel information provider and marketing services platform. Prior to that, he was SVP, chief content and product officer at CFO Publishing. Overall and throughout his 25-year career, Rivera has developed a record of success in creating and managing growth-oriented global businesses by drawing on his rich understanding of all facets of business operations, including sales, marketing, product development and technology.

Maureen Macke has been named SVP, events and conferences. This newly established position signals EnsembleIQ’s commitment to making its events grow and improve across the wide range of retail markets it serves. By using a “content first” strategy, and by improving logistical and operational functions, the EnsembleIQ goal is to increase attendee value while improving operational efficiencies.

For more than 13 years, Macke has served as managing director of marketing and events at the Path to Purchase Institute, a subsidiary of EnsembleIQ. In that role, she led a team responsible for member service and communication, event programming, marketing and logistics. Prior to joining the Path to Purchase Institute, Macke served as SVP for more than 14 years at the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association/NRF.

In related news, Richard Zelvin has been named associate publisher of Shopper Marketing magazine, an EnsembleIQ brand that serves as the authoritative source for brand marketers and retailers tasked with understanding shopper marketing best practices along the path to purchase. Formerly director, market development and sales, Zelvin earned the change in title as a result of his success in expanding the magazine’s advertiser base and dramatically improving its financial performance over the past year.

The new appointments follow last week's news that EnsembleIQ acquired a number of Canadian brands from Rogers Media, including Canadian Grocer, and that Korry Stagnito, chief brand officer, had been promoted to president of EnsembleIQ-Canada and chief business development officer.