Sears, Roebuck and Co. gets new cmo

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. Sears Holdings Corp. announced today that Richard Gerstein will join the company on Aug. 6 as senior vp, chief marketing officer for its Sears, Roebuck and Co. subsidiary. Gerstein, who will have overall responsibilities for executing Sears' brand marketing strategies and programs, will report to Maureen McGuire, Sears Holdings' chief marketing officer.

Gerstein comes to Sears from Alberto Culver Beauty, where he served as global chief marketing officer and senior vp of the U.S. business. While at Alberto Culver Beauty, Gerstein reorganized and energized the marketing organization, attracted top new talent, and created new marketing capabilities to accelerate brand growth and launched new brands into mass retail. During his 20-year career, he has also served in senior leadership and marketing positions at Reflect True Custom Beauty (a Proctor & Gamble spin-off) and at Proctor & Gamble. 

"With Richard's hiring, we add another seasoned executive to our bench of talent, and someone who has the creativity, talent and experience to help Sears reconnect with its loyal customers and attract former customers back to Sears. We started that work with the announcement in May of Sears' new integrated marketing campaign," said McGuire. "Richard will be charged with helping consumers better understand the unique products and services Sears offers that can inspire them to imagine and fulfill new possibilities for every chapter in their lives and to help improve the customer experience."