Douglas C. Straton — CEO

Deeply experienced executive with global multi-channel general management, sales, marketing and P&L experience. Skills include brand building, trade marketing, eCommerce (including DTC/B2C), omnichannel, key account management, sales and marketing support, sales and commercial planning, data and analytics. Possess excellent cross-functional organizational, management and applied technology skills. Equally successful in entrepreneurial start-ups ($50M to $500M) and/or corporate environments ($50B+). Well-regarded as thought leader and transformational, cultural, organizational change agent. Specialties: Scaling businesses or individual brands from $50M to $500M+, strategic planning, post-merger integration, acquisition due-diligence, brand building, trade marketing, promotional development, analysis, digital, omnichannel, e-commerce, loyalty, merchandising, knowledge of premium and mass CPG/FMCG and luxury good markets, management of large sales and marketing teams globally. Board, Consulting and Advisory Experience to MarTech, Robotics, Fulfillment and Retail start-ups, trade associations, graduate programs; Trade event and Academic speaking experience at top-tier institutions. Published author in leading newspapers, trade journals and magazines.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a seasoned executive in the CPG and MarTech industries with a focus on digital transformation.

Location: New York City, New York, United States

Experience: 23 yrs 9 mos

Skills

Marketing
Brand Management
Client Engagement
Strategic Planning
Digital Marketing
Ecommerce
Sales Management
Trade Marketing
Product Development
Crm

Career Highlights

20+ years of executive leadership experience
Proven track record of double-digit growth
Expertise in digital transformation and eCommerce

Work Experience

Bazaarvoice

Chief Marketing Officer (10 mos)

Chief Client and Retail Growth Officer (1 yr 5 mos)

Chief Customer Evangelist (1 yr 10 mos)

Catena Clearing

Strategic Advisor (1 yr)

Digital Commerce Global

Strategic Advisor and Investor (4 yrs 2 mos)

Nectar First

Strategic Advisor (3 yrs 7 mos)

The Hershey Company

Chief Digital Officer (4 yrs 3 mos)

Unilever

Head of Global eCommerce Strategy and Innovation (4 mos)

Vice-President - Digital, eCommerce, Omnichannel, Data (5 yrs 10 mos)

Head of Global Brand Building, TIGI Haircare (1 yr 2 mos)

TIGI (Bed Head, Catwalk Haircare, Haircolor, Cosmetics)

Sr. Vice President Int'l Sales and Marketing, Vice President National Accounts (4 yrs 11 mos)

Vice President, International Sales and Marketing (1 yr)

Director, International Sales and Marketing (1 yr)

LVMH

Director of Trade Marketing, TAG Heuer (7 mos)

L'Oréal - Matrix

Director of Business Developement (1 yr 3 mos)

Education

BA at Michigan State University

Unilever Leadership Development and Change Management at INSEAD

Douglas C. Straton

CEO

New York City, New York, United States23 yrs 9 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

20+ years of executive leadership experience
Proven track record of double-digit growth
Expertise in digital transformation and eCommerce

Stackforce AI infers this person is a seasoned executive in the CPG and MarTech industries with a focus on digital transformation.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

MarketingBrand ManagementClient EngagementStrategic PlanningDigital MarketingEcommerceSales ManagementTrade MarketingProduct DevelopmentCrm

Other Skills

MediaMarket IntelligenceCompetitive IntelligenceClient SuccessValue EngineeringAccount EngagementProduct InnovationOmnichannelP&L ManagementAnalyticsData and AnalyticsCustomer Relationship Management (CRM)Business IntelligenceCategory ManagementVisual Merchandising

About

Experience

23 yrs 9 mos

Total Experience

3 yrs 11 mos

Average Tenure

4 yrs 1 mo

Current Experience

Bazaarvoice

3 roles

Chief Marketing Officer

Promoted

Jul 2025 – Present · 10 mos

Own and drive Marketing function for Bazaarvoice, the largest provider of consumer-generated product-related content including ratings & reviews (text, visual and video), social, influencer and creator content, with a network of over 13,000 brands and retailers, a catalog of 2.6B products, and serving nearly 2.5B shoppers per month.
Responsibilities for Brand, Product, Growth and Field Marketing, Media, Web, Social, Design, Analyst Relations, Market & Competitive Intelligence, Value Engineering, Value Reporting and Measurement.

Brand ManagementMarketingMediaMarket IntelligenceCompetitive Intelligence

Chief Client and Retail Growth Officer

Feb 2024 – Jul 2025 · 1 yr 5 mos

Serve as lead for the BV retailer strategy and as a thought leader with our clients externally.
Provide insights and expert advice to Sales, Client Success, Marketing, Product, Product Marketing, Engineering. Drive Value Engineering team to develop 360 view of client value. Elevate strategic client conversations within key accounts, and develop account engagement and growth by to drive client value. Serve as ongoing consultant at key customers by serving as a thought leader. Ensure customers are getting the most out of Bazaarvoice.
Drive Customer and Executive Advisory Boards to build deeper relationship building/executive sponsorship, as well collaborate on future product innovation. Lead company spokesperson and thought leader - Maximizing Bazaarvoice presence, buzz, excitement; getting name out at conferences, articles, speaking at VIP events, webinars.
Work with Product team to think through innovation, product/feature integration and UI/UX to accelerate BV’s leadership position in the marketplace. Work with Corporate Development and M&A input on what propositions and technology drive real impact that is synergistic with BV’s platform.

Client SuccessValue EngineeringAccount EngagementProduct InnovationClient EngagementStrategic Planning

Chief Customer Evangelist

Apr 2022 – Feb 2024 · 1 yr 10 mos

Provide insights and expert advice to Sales, Client Success, Marketing. Working with Value Engineering team to develop 360 view of client value. Elevate strategic client conversations within key accounts, and develop account engagement and growth by to drive client value. Serve as ongoing consultant at key customers by serving as a thought leader. Ensure customers are getting the most out of Bazaarvoice. Develop services, positioning them and driving differentiated value.
Drive Customer and Executive Advisory Boards to build deeper relationship building/executive sponsorship, as well collaborate on future product innovation. Lead company spokesperson and thought leader - Maximizing Bazaarvoice presence, buzz, excitement; getting name out at conferences, articles, speaking at VIP events, webinars.
Work with Product team to think through innovation, product/feature integration and UI/UX to accelerate BV’s leadership position in the marketplace. Work with Corporate Development and M&A input on what propositions and technology drive real impact that is synergistic with BV’s platform.

Client SuccessValue EngineeringProduct InnovationClient EngagementStrategic Planning

Catena clearing

Strategic Advisor

Oct 2023 – Oct 2024 · 1 yr · New York, New York, United States · Remote

Catena Clearing is connected, efficient, and transparent visibility backbone for suppliers & retailers
to track goods from raw materials to suppliers to PoS.

Digital commerce global

Strategic Advisor and Investor

Mar 2022 – Present · 4 yrs 2 mos · Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Strategic Advisor and Investor for the global standard in eCommerce and Digital Capability benchmarking.

Nectar first

Strategic Advisor

Jan 2022 – Aug 2025 · 3 yrs 7 mos · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Strategic advisory for a Media Buying Agency based in Toronto, Canada; co-founder.

The hershey company

Chief Digital Officer

Nov 2017 – Feb 2022 · 4 yrs 3 mos · Greater New York City Area

Strategic development and general manager of The Hershey Company Digital Commerce business unit and P&L. Report to President, COO. Drive the development and best practice in Omnichannel, eCommerce (including retailer and B2B), Digital Marketing, Digital Merchandising, Online Category Management, Marketing, Digital Insights and Analytics. Development of PurePlay, Brick & Mortar .coms and Grocery Delivery capabilities and models. Own enterprise CRM & personalization efforts, Product Information and Digital Asset Management. Own commercial Digital Transformation & Innovation efforts for the enterprise.
Speaker at NYU Stern, Wharton, Mack Institute; advisor to mulitple start-ups, trade associations and universities.

Digital MarketingOmnichanneleCommerceP&L Management

Unilever

3 roles

Head of Global eCommerce Strategy and Innovation

May 2012 – Sep 2012 · 4 mos

Responsible for developing and driving Unilever's eCommerce strategies and innovation globally, "test and learn" capability deployment, and connecting Unilever's eCommerce Centers of Excellence.

Vice-President - Digital, eCommerce, Omnichannel, Data

Promoted

Jan 2012 – Nov 2017 · 5 yrs 10 mos

General management of multi-functional team tasked with implementing Unilever's Global and North American eCommerce and Omnichannel strategies and running of business; Report to President, CEO; Drive the development and best practice in Omnichannel, eCommerce, Digital Shopper Marketing, Digital Asset Management, Digital Merchandising, Online Category Management, Marketing, eCommerce Insights and Analytics. Responsible for this development across Unilever's entire US portfolio in Personal Care, Foods, Refreshment and Laundry. Development of PurePlay, Brick & Mortar .coms and Grocery Delivery capabilities and models. Full commercial responsibility for PurePlay customers, including P&L and economic model development. Acquisition and Venture Advisory and Governance.
Drive cultural transformation across organization in Digital, eCommerce, Omnichannel and Big Data.
Board Member of Center of eCommerce Excellence - 2012-2014
Nielsen Consumer360 - Guest Speaker - June 2013
Path to Purchase Institute Shopper Marketing Expo - Guest Speaker October 2013
Path to Purchase Institute Shopper Marketing Summit - Guest Speaker March 2014, 2015
Knowledge@Wharton; Wharton School of Business - Guest Speaker April 2014
A16Z - Andreesen-Horowitz Conference - Speaker and Panel Participant with Instacart October 2016
NRF Brand Innovators Conference - Consumer Experience and the Future of Retail January 2017
FMI Mid-Winter Conference - The Moment of Sales January 2017
Shoptalk - March 2017

Digital MarketingeCommerceOmnichannel

Head of Global Brand Building, TIGI Haircare

Feb 2011 – Apr 2012 · 1 yr 2 mos

Managed all brand building activities for TIGI Haircare, including the Bed Head, Catwalk and Hair Reborn brands. Global Steering Committee and Board Member for this independently run subsidiary of Unilever.

Tigi (bed head, catwalk haircare, haircolor, cosmetics)

3 roles

Sr. Vice President Int'l Sales and Marketing, Vice President National Accounts

Promoted

May 2004 – Apr 2009 · 4 yrs 11 mos · Dallas, Texas, United States

General Management of Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Italy, the regional export business in Latin America and Asia. Managed US National Account Sales, Global Brand Building and Promotions, Analytics, Insights, Customer Service and Trade Marketing, global Digital and eCommerce.
Lead on sale-side acquisition to and integration upon acquisition by Unilever. TIGI Executive Commitee member, Honorary Board Member

Vice President, International Sales and Marketing

May 2003 – May 2004 · 1 yr · Dallas, Texas, United States

Managed international product development and marketing worldwide, direct export businesses in Asia, Latin America, liaise with partners in Germany, Italy, UK, and Australia, manage international supply chain, logistics, regulation, compliance and quality control.

Sales ManagementTrade MarketingAnalytics

Director, International Sales and Marketing

May 2002 – May 2003 · 1 yr · Dallas, Texas, United States

Managed international product development and marketing worldwide, direct export businesses in Asia, Latin America, liaise with partners in Germany, Italy, UK, and Australia, manage international regulation, compliance and quality control.

Product DevelopmentMarketing

Lvmh

Director of Trade Marketing, TAG Heuer

Oct 2001 – May 2002 · 7 mos · Greater New York City Area

Managed all staff and functions of trade marketing, in-store merchandising and display innovation and execution, in-field promotion, retail advertising, and CRM. Automated processes to efficiently and effectively manage national network of jewelry retailers, and their individual merchandising and display needs.

Product DevelopmentMarketing

L'oréal - matrix

Director of Business Developement

Aug 2000 – Nov 2001 · 1 yr 3 mos · New York City Metropolitan Area

Responsible for trade marketing, sales and commercial planning, forecasting and analytics. Worked with domestic and international marketing team on promotional calendars that fit strategy of company, brands, trade sectors and customers. Managed sales and marketing analysis and forecasting groups.

Trade MarketingCRM