Heinz marketing chief takes MD role

Heinz has scrapped the role of chief marketing officer following the departure of Suzanne Douglas. She is returning to Heinz Australia to become managing director of the division.

The company has decided against replacing Douglas “for the near term future” and the category marketing directors will report straight to Dave Woodward, president of Heinz UK and Ireland.

Douglas joined Heinz UK & Ireland in July 2006 from Australia, where she has been general marketing manager for three years. She oversaw a review of its advertising roster and moved the business out of incumbents Leo Burnett, which has handled the business since 1998, WCRS and Beattie McGuinness Bungay (MW.co.uk, September 7, 2006). She appointed McCann Erickson but was forced to review just seven months later after “the emergence of growing conflicts of interest” in the McCann Worldgroup portfolio. Abbot Mead Vickers.BBDO now handles the £12m account (MW.co.uk, September 3, 2007).

Douglas joined the company after a series of management changes including the departure of Jane Miller, president of UK & Ireland, who has been in the role for just one year. She was replaced by Woodward, a former Procter & Gamble sales director (MW May 11, 2007).

It also came just a year after the company had been forced to pull all of its above-the-line advertising after it struggled to assimilate HP Foods (MW July 20, 2006).