Hy-Vee Names New CMO and President of RedMedia
Firmly in growth mode in both the physical and digital space, Iowa-based Hy-Vee has another proverbial feather in its company cap with the hiring of Jessica Hendrix as chief marketing officer, EVP of Hy-Vee, Inc. and president of RedMedia, its young retail media network. The Iowa native begins her new role in mid-April.
Hendrix joins Hy-Vee from Saatchi & Saatchi X, where she served as president and CEO. She led the full-service and shopper marketing agency of parent company Publicis Groupe for nearly nine years, working with partners including Procter & Gamble, Wendy’s, Kraft, Smucker’s, Samsung and Dreyer’s. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English, pre-law and marketing from the University of Iowa and has served on the boards of organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Walton Arts Corporate Leadership Council. She is also a member of the Path to Purchase Institute.
At Hy-Vee and its RedMedia group, Hendrix will leverage her nearly 25 years of retail and shopper marketing experience as she steers the retailer’s marketing initiatives and propels the retail media business that was launched last September. She reports to Hy-Vee President Donna Tweeten, who received a 2023 Top Women in Grocery Trailblazer Award from Progressive Grocer.
“I truly believe bringing a leader of Jessica’s caliber on board at Hy-Vee is going to take our integrated marketing strategies to the next level,” said CEO Jeremy Gosch. “The talent and experience we have in this area is second to none, and with Jessica at the helm, I’m confident this team will bring even more value to our brand marketing efforts, the positioning of our image, and the advanced development of our retail media network.”
For her part, Hendrix said she is eager to fuel the growth of multiple aspects of the business. “The Hy-Vee brand has always been near and dear to my heart,” she declared. “The company provides unparallel customer service, whether that’s for a shopper in a store or in how they work with their suppliers. The potential for Hy-Vee to continue to leverage that experience to make a lasting impact in the marketing and retail media space is substantial.”
In related news, Hy-Vee announced that EVP Anna Stoermer will transition from her most recent role of chief marketing officer to chief merchandising officer.
Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 550 business units across eight Midwestern states with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company has a team of 75,000-plus employees and is No. 36 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
