People on the Move
NATIONAL REPORT -- 7-Eleven Inc. President and CEO Joe DePinto was named chairman of casual-dining restaurant operator Brinker International Inc. owner of the Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy chains.
DePinto joined Brinker's board in August 2010 and became lead director this past year. The restaurant operator has been working to overhaul its business over the past two years, including new kitchen equipment and staffing changes that have reduced labor costs, according to media reports.
In other people news:
Savannah, Ga.-based Enmark Stations, operator of 59 stores in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, announced that Doug Carroll joined the company as director of real estate. In this new role, Carroll manages the company’s real estate strategy, including site selection and acquisition of Enmark-owned real estate, and oversees the existing real estate portfolio, disposition and reposition of surplus property.
Carroll has held various roles within the retail real estate industry, from shopping center leasing to convenience store development with RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. Most recently, he was the southeast real estate manager for Papa Murphy’s Pizza, a 1,400-unit take-and-bake pizza restaurant chain.
Carroll received a B.B.A. in marketing and management from Mercer University and an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia. He is the NextGen Chair for the Coastal Georgia region of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a committee member of The Next Generation, a nonprofit benefiting the Children’s Hospital at Memorial Health.
iSMØK hired Chris Mitchell as its new chief marketing officer. Mitchell previously served as director of portfolio and trade strategy with Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the world’s third- largest tobacco manufacturer, and brings a wealth of experience in the evolving e-cigarette category.
"We believe that Chris can lead our continuing explosive growth and help us to forge a leading consumer marketing position in this fast-moving and growing category," said Leo Tebele, president of iSMØK, which launched in March 2011.
Ken Nuss, vice president of marketing for Kroger’s corporate convenience stores, will retire on July 31. His replacement will be named at a later date, the retailer reported.
Nuss began his career with Kwik Shop in 1985 as an area supervisor and held various positions within the Kwik Shop banner, including district advisor, division manager and category manager. In 2000, he was promoted to vice president of marketing for Kwik Shop. He also served as vice president of operations during his time with the banner.
In 2002, Nuss was named director of marketing for the Kroger corporate c-stores team, and he was promoted to his current position in 2008. His retirement plans include spending time with his wife, Vickie, and his grandchildren, as well as golfing and traveling.
Tobacco Media Group International
TMG International Inc., holding company for the Tobacco Plus Convenience Expo (TPC) and Tobacco Business International magazine (TBI), announced Russell Mancuso’s assignment as vice president of business development. He reports to Ed O’Connor, president of TMG.
In this newly created position, Mancuso is responsible for working with senior management in the cigarette tobacco store and convenience store communities to communicate to and negotiate industry involvement in the enhanced activities of the TPC Expo.
Mancuso brings to the role 30 years of experience in building best-in-class tobacco sales organizations and partnering with a multitude of retailers and distributors. His past experience includes roles as senior vice president of national accounts at Commonwealth-Altadis and vice president of sales at Commonwealth Brands. He’s also served as a board member of the American Wholesale Marketers Association, Southern Association of Wholesale Distributors, and NATO.
Paul Galant was recently appointed CEO of technology company VeriFone Inc. and made a member of its board of directors effective Oct. 1.
Galant previously served as CEO of Citigroup Inc.’s Enterprise Payments business where he developed innovative digital payments services for Citi’s institutional and government clients, enabling them to expand into growth markets and helping meet their consumers’ current and future needs for secure mobile payments and commerce.
Before that, he served as CEO of Citi Cards, heading Citigroup’s North American and International Consumer Credit Cards business during a period of dramatic change in the industry.
"Following an extensive search process that considered a broad list of highly qualified candidates, Paul was deemed unanimously by the board to have the best combination of professional experience and leadership skills to continue to capitalize on the solid progress we have made in recent months,” said Dr. Leslie Denend, VeriFone’s interim non-executive chairman. “His experience in guiding businesses through industry change and his track record in multi-channel payment innovation will position the company strategically for continued growth and long-term value creation."