GSK appoints drinks brands marketing boss
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has appointed Julie Leivers to head its marketing for Ribena and Lucozade.
Leivers, who joins GSK from McCain Foods, where she was marketing director, has been appointed to the new position of vice-president of marketing and innovation at GSK Nutritional Healthcare.
The position includes the responsibilities held by vice-president of marketing Peter Harding, who was promoted to run GSK’s Irish consumer healthcare operations in January (MW January 30).
Leivers will oversee all brand marketing and innovation for Ribena, Lucozade and Horlicks. She has worked at McCain for seven years and is credited with extending the company’s range beyond chips to include new products such as Home Fries, Home Roasts and Pizza Fingers.
Leivers, who is to be replaced by McCain marketing controller Simon Eyles, is a former marketing controller for Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages and a former group product manager for PepsiCo Foods.
GSK has dumped games icon Lara Croft as the face of Lucozade Energy for its latest campaign, which focuses on the mental stimulation of the product and carries the strapline “Brain energy in a bottle”.
The company launched its first brand extension in eight years, Luco-zade Citrus Clear, at the same time.
Harding oversaw the appointment of M&C Saatchi to the Lucozade Sport account just prior to his promotion (MW January 9). Lucozade Energy remains with Ogilvy & Mather.
