Rakuten Kobo, a global leader in digital reading, today announced the appointment of Marianne Hamilton to the role of Chief Marketing Officer. Reporting to CEO Michael Tamblyn, Hamilton is responsible for the entire customer journey, from acquisition and retention marketing to eBook, audiobook and eReader sales. The role was formerly held by Alan MacNevin, who has been newly appointed as Chief Operating Officer.
Hamilton joined Rakuten Kobo in 2012 to increase the company’s brand presence through its global network of retail partners as VP of Marketing; in 2015, she was given responsibility for all marketing functions globally from customer relationship management and loyalty, to digital marketing, advertising, creative, product marketing, and brand strategy. Prior to Rakuten Kobo, Hamilton worked in marketing and communications agency-side on top brands such as Timex, Sony PlayStation, Hewlett-Packard; she then took on a senior management role at Motorola.
“In an intensely competitive market, she combines customer insight with execution on a global scale, building brand and retail experiences that attract customers who put reading at the centre of their lives,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “She is a great leader to a diverse and dynamic team who lives and breaths Kobo’s reader-centric values.”
Hamilton joins the existing executive team:
Alan MacNevin, formerly Chief Marketing Officer, has been appointed to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations.
Pieter Swinkels, formerly Executive Vice President of Publisher Relations and Content, has been appointed to Chief Content Officer, responsible for content acquisition, publisher and author relations, original content and Kobo Writing Life.
Dave Anderson, formerly Executive Vice President of Content Sales, has been appointed to Chief Strategy Officer, overseeing corporate development, big data, and global supply chain.
Trevor Hunter and Philip Cheng continue in their roles of Chief Technology Officer and Chief Financial Officer respectively.
About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s most innovative eReading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides people with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders to suit any Reader’s style including the Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Aura ONE and Kobo Forma; along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading and audiobook listening app for iOS® and Android®. Kobo’s award-winning eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit kobo.com.