Thano Chaltas

Thano Chaltas is an accomplished Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager with deep expertise in driving business growth. With 20+ years in marketing and general management experience ranging from PE owned to mid-cap to Fortune 50 companies, Mr. Chaltas has consistently delivered in designing and implementing innovative brand strategies that simultaneously drive P&L, business, and brand success.

Most recently, Mr. Chaltas was Global Chief Marketing Officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. where he was responsible for global brand development including strategy, advertising, media, digital & social marketing, consumer & shopper insights, and new product innovation. During his time at Ocean Spray, Mr. Chaltas helped implement a business turnaround while identifying revenue driving new products and trade cost reduction opportunities. Prior to joining Ocean Spray, Mr. Chaltas had progressive marketing experience with Kraft, WellPet and UST. He served as Chief Marketing Officer and Interim Head of Sales at WellPet, LLC, a private equity owned producer and marketer of premium, natural food for pets. Mr. Chaltas delivered record revenue and double-digit profit growth each year (25% cumulative growth) while expanding market share with a first ever national advertising campaign and industry leading digital and social media efforts. Prior to Well Pet, Mr. Chaltas was Vice President of Marketing at UST, which achieved record sales, profits, and EPS during his tenure, increasing the company’s market value 75%.

Mr. Chaltas also spent 13 years at Kraft Foods where he developed broad category and channel expertise working across beverage, snacks, coffee and cereal businesses. He worked on alliances with top media and sports properties (e.g., NASCAR, MLB, Nickelodeon), interacted with top retailers (Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway, Dollar General) and managed highly visible brands (Post, Maxwell House, Kool-Aid).

Mr. Chaltas has served as a board member of the Ad Club of Boston, Stamford Center for the Arts, and the Brown University Alumni Club of Fairfield County. Mr Chaltas has been a member of the Association of National Advertisers Senior Marketer Think Tank, Kellogg School of Management Marketing Leadership Summit and Executive Forum. Mr. Chaltas earned an undergraduate degree from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Marketing, Finance and Organizational Behavior from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

August 2014