TOLEDO, Ohio – Hickory Farms added two executives on June 16 with the appointment of Judy Ransford as the company's new chief marketing officer and Matt James as its new chief operating officer.
"I am excited to have Matt and Judy join the Hickory Farms team," said Diane Pearse, CEO, and president. "I have worked with them both and know their skills and experiences will help make us a strong competitor in the food gifting retail space."
Prior to joining Hickory Farms in 2015, Ransford founded the e-commerce fashion brand 5 Junes, a clothing website. From 2008 to 2014, she held key leadership roles at Redbox including vice president of digital marketing, vice president customer programs and vice president core growth strategy.
She also worked as head of marketing for United Ad Label, and 10 years as a consultant in strategy and technology at Marakon Associates and Accenture.
Before joining Hickory Farms, James joined Redbox in 2011 where he held multiple leadership positions, including senior vice president of operations and merchandising, vice president of inventory and logistics and director. He was also senior director of strategy & analytics.
Before joining Redbox, James worked in strategy consulting at Bain & Company and Marakon Associates.
Michael Holton, who served as CMO, has transitioned out of Hickory Farms.
