Hartz has appointed Tina Le Lay as President and Chief Operating Officer and Dai Kageyama as Vice President of Marketing.
Per the release:
These promotions come as the company has completed a transition that focuses its product assortment on dog and cat care. The Hartz of today is no longer a one-stop shop for all pet needs as it once was, serving pets from goldfish to birds, bunnies, guinea pigs, and more. The company’s nationally trusted product portfolio has transformed to solely focus on its signature dog and cat product portfolio – a strategic move that’s reflected within Hartz’s newly designed brand logo, including the heart-shaped icon of a dog and cat snuggling.
We’re living in unprecedented times, when pet owners are even willing to forgo their basic needs in order to satisfy those of their furry family members. This is true not only in the US but many countries globally, and Hartz’s parent company, Unicharm, a leading global CPG company based in Tokyo, Japan, knows well how pet parents have raised the bar on pet care. Unicharm has guided Hartz, providing innovation, technology, and marketing support so that the company could transition to a more premium portfolio of pet care focused on serving dogs and cats.
Le Lay – a longtime member of Hartz for seventeen years – has spearheaded marketing efforts across the cat treat, dog treat, animal health, hygiene, and toy categories. Formerly the Chief Marketing Officer, she directed the development of the “Unconditional Love” brand communication platform and national campaign, which celebrates the rewards and challenges of the shared life between pets and humans.
“Hartz is nearly 100 years old, there aren’t many brands with our history that have managed to remain relevant for the next generation. Meta and TikTok are where the younger pet parent especially chooses to spend time, prompting us to reevaluate how we approach our content. What does it mean to be truly social-first?” explains Le Lay. “I’ve had the honor of serving Hartz in a range of capacities for a long time. The biggest lesson learned is that authenticity and insights must be at the core of everything we do. Our aim as we develop our products is to always delight BOTH pet parent and pet.”
Previously the Senior Director of Marketing – Cat Treats at Hartz, Kageyama has led marketing for the Delectables cat treat brand. Under his leadership, Delectables has soared to achieve the #1 brand of wet cat treats and the #2 brand of cat treats overall. Most notably, he oversaw the integrated “Deliciously De-Lick-able Delectables” campaign for the Squeeze Up and Lickable Treat sub-brands. It was supported by trending music clips, “Grab Your Furry Friends” and “Pawing For More”, on TikTok. In his new role, he will supervise all categories, while still directly managing the Delectables business.
Kageyama’s attention is focused on driving further market share gain for Delectables by expanding reach to more and more cat owners. “It’s my mission to ensure that the sub-brands are each uniquely developed as well as meaningfully connect back with the Delectables masterbrand. For the year ahead, our goal will be to reach all cat parents and show them how they can treat and bond with their cats better than ever before. I especially look forward to communicating our upcoming news and product innovations.”
Hartz has also announced the following leadership promotions: Tatsuya Suto from President and CEO to Chairman and CEO, Frank Cursi to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Shinji Fujita to Senior Vice President Operations, and Takeshi Ikegami to Senior Vice President Research & Development and Regulatory.
Suto comments, “Tina and Dai were selected for these positions because they understand not only the pet landscape of today, but also the pet landscape of tomorrow. They have demonstrated positive change for the company and our brands, while maintaining our core values and commitment to serve pet parents with the best products and education to care for pets as family members. I’m thrilled to congratulate them on these well-deserved milestones.”
