AdAdapted Expands Executive Team to Build Out New Business Units and Offerings

Alison O’Keefe and Joshua Sukenic join AdAdapted to focus on business expansion initiatives, including the company’s recently-launched self-managed solution, AdAdapted Direct, as well as growth of strategic retail partnerships

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AdAdapted, the leading Shopping List Marketing and insights platform for CPG brands, agencies, and retailers, today announced it has hired Joshua Sukenic as VP and general manager of AdAdapted Direct and Alison O’Keefe as general manager of retail partnerships. The addition of Sukenic and O’Keefe highlight AdAdapted’s continued emphasis on expanding into new business verticals and further diversifying its offerings for CPG brands, agencies and retailers.

“AdAdapted Direct and strategic retail partnerships are two key priorities for us in 2022 and beyond,” said Mike Pedersen, co-founder and CEO, AdAdapted. “We are excited to have Josh and Alison join our executive team to lead these initiatives and drive continued company growth.”

Joshua Sukenic, VP and GM, AdAdapted Direct
As VP and GM of AdAdapted Direct, Sukenic will lead the product roadmap and the operational aspects of AdAdapted Direct, an on-demand, self-managed advertising solution built to make consumer marketing easy and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Sukenic’s leadership will bring together a high-performing team for Direct that will help emerging CPG grocery retailers and their agencies scale and get in front of more shoppers using the easiest, most flexible self-service platform available.

Since the launch of AdAdapted Direct in September, Sukenic’s AdAdapted Direct team has seen great success with customer usage and results. Sukenic has led the team to release new features of the solution, including new ad creative and template options that allow customers to easily build their own creative using AdAdapted Direct.

“AdAdapted Direct offers a highly valuable and differentiated solution for small and emerging CPG brands, making it easier than ever for businesses to target verified shoppers and get their branded products onto shopping lists and into shopping carts,” said Sukenic. “I’m proud to be leading the charge for AdAdapted Direct and empowering brands to run campaigns that fit their budget while providing control, flexibility and agility.”

Sukenic brings a strong background in helping organizations capture new strategic opportunities in CPG and SaaS by launching new business lines and strategies. Prior to joining AdAdapted, Sukenic held leadership positions at data and analytics companies such as Morningstar, Inc and EBSCO. He also initiated and led global commercial excellence and digital transformation at Dawn Foods.

Alison O’Keefe, GM of Retail Partnerships, AdAdapted
As GM of retail partnerships for AdAdapted, O’Keefe is responsible for bringing in and managing retailer partnerships, as well as the strategy and evolution of AdAdapted’s shoppable add-to-cart technology product. O’Keefe’s leadership will facilitate retailers’ ability to leverage this technology, enabling a seamless customer experience that leads to incremental sales for CPG brands.

“I have always been impressed with AdAdapted’s leadership and offerings,” said O’Keefe. “When I learned about AdAdapted’s shoppable add-to-cart technology, I immediately recognized the positive impact it will have in retail media. Making off-property campaigns truly shoppable solves a challenging problem in this space, and I am looking forward to partnering with retailers to enhance both customer experience and media performance."

Prior to joining AdAdapted, O’Keefe served as head of marketing for a regional restaurant brand, Frisch’s Restaurants, helping the brand successfully pivot its digital strategy during the pandemic. Most relevant to her role as GM of Retail Partnerships and AdAdapted, O’Keefe was part of the Product, Strategy & Innovation team at 84.51°, building out Kroger Precision Marketing’s off-property retail media offering for their suppliers. Developing Kroger Precision Marketing’s platform from conception to activation gave O’Keefe in-depth insight into both the challenges facing off-property retail media and the customer journey.

“I am confident that Josh and Alison will contribute greatly to our team as we continue to innovate and offer best-in-industry solutions that drive brands’ business growth,” said Pedersen. “Their experience will further AdAdapted’s mission of enabling brands and retailers to increase purchase intent and build awareness in this competitive space.”

To learn more about AdAdapted, click here.

About AdAdapted

AdAdapted is the leading shopping list marketing and insights platform built for CPG brands, agencies, and retailers. AdAdapted’s powerful list data and unique ad products help the world’s top CPGs meet their most important goals. With 110MM+ US shoppers using a mobile grocery list app, AdAdapted has built a distinct audience and ad offering no other solution can provide. No one gets branded products on the list and in the cart like AdAdapted.