Dive Brief:
- Wawa has named Doug Martin as its new chief marketing officer, according to a report from the Philadelphia Business Journal, citing an internal memo sent from CEO Chris Gheysens to company employees and as confirmed to that publication by Wawa’s spokesperson.
- Martin joins Wawa from General Mills, where he had worked for nearly 20 years. He was most recently its CMO, but served in a variety of roles with the CPG company
- Martin joins Wawa in the middle of a massive expansion phase. The company has expanded to six new states over the past three years, with two more on the docket as it targets 1,800 stores by 2030.
Dive Insight:
Wawa’s marketing machine will be in full force over the next few years as the company plans to add hundreds of stores, many in towns and cities it’ll be entering for the first time.
Martin’s time with General Mills gave him experience with large, established brands, but he was also involved in the company’s GWorks team, which focused on finding new insights and trends — a forward-looking role that seems to jibe with Wawa’s own rapid expansion and evolution.
Wawa’s spokesperson told the Journal that Martin is "a proven marketer from General Mills who brings great experience and passion to grow the Wawa brand."
In addition to CMO, Martin’s roles at General Mills included marketing manager for yellow box Cheerios, business unit manager and director of marketing for Yoplait and president of the dairy operating unit, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before General Mills, he also worked as a merchandiser for Gap Inc./Old Navy and financial analyst for motion picture production finance with Walt Disney Studios.
Wawa did not respond by press time to request for comment on Martin’s hiring.
