Winnebago Industries, Inc. promoted Chad Reece to vice president, government and industry relations among three executive changes the company made.
Amber Holm will be joining Winnebago industries as senior vice president, chief marketing officer. Sri Koneru is promoted to senior vice president, chief information officer.
As VP, government and industry relations, Reece will be responsible for oversight of ongoing engagement with outdoor industry-related organizations, state and national level government and corporate development contacts, and awareness of key legislation trends and issues, the company said. He will support various corporate relations initiatives and report to Stacy Bogart, SVP, general counsel, secretary and corporate responsibility.
“As VP, government and industry relations, Chad will leverage his long-term government and industry relationships to further enhance Winnebago Industries’ leadership in the outdoor recreation industry,” Bogart said. “He will continue to be a great ambassador for our company, and I look forward to collaborating with him in his expanded role.”
A 34-year Winnebago Industries veteran, Reece served in many critical leadership roles, most recently as director, corporate relations where he led enterprise branding and oversaw management of communications and public relations. Prior to that, Reece served as director of marketing for 15 years.
He has been active at the board and committee levels with several state and national organizations, including RVIA, and recently was elected treasurer of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.
Holm will occupy a newly created chief marketing officer role. Holm will work strategically to create an even more vibrant Winnebago Industries portfolio by driving marketing and branding efforts at the enterprise level, the company said, and engaging numerous stakeholders more proactively from a communications perspective.
Holm will report directly to President and CEO Michael Happe.
“We are excited to welcome Amber, an experienced and highly accomplished marketing leader, to our executive leadership team,” Happe said. “Over the past six years, we have built a stable of premium, leading outdoor recreation brands under the Winnebago Industries parent company umbrella. These are incredible assets, and as CMO, Amber will especially strengthen the Winnebago Industries enterprise brand, captain the sharing of best brand management practices across the organization, and drive crucial strategic communications and consumer insights efforts.”
Holm joins Winnebago Industries effective July 6. Holm spent more than two decades leading marketing and brand management for top consumer brands across multiple industries. Most recently, as vice president, brands at Newell Brands, she led the global housewares business, achieving record sales growth and transforming brand positioning, consumer insights and omnichannel marketing. Prior to that, Holm spent six years at Bridgestone Americas as vice president of marketing and 13 years at General Mills.
Koneru will take an expanded role as chief information officer. Koneru will partner with company leaders in developing and implementing digital strategies. Among the roles will be transforming of customer engagement and interaction, leading information technologies within products, and overseeing internal digital transformation initiatives across the company. As a member of the executive leadership team, Koneru will continue to report to Bryan Hughes, CFO and senior vice president, finance, it, and strategic planning.
“Sri joined Winnebago Industries two years ago and has been vice president, IT since his arrival,” Hughes said. “In this period, he has made significant contributions, most notably in bolstering a cybersecurity platform and building a highly qualified team to execute cyber and digital strategy. His extensive expertise in enterprise architecture, digital transformation, leveraging data, and mobile and cloud technology, as well as a history of leading successful ERP implementations make him a perfect fit for this expanded role.”
Prior to Winnebago Industries, Koneru was with Xcel Energy as area vice president, IT & Digital Strategy. He also spent 15 years with Target Corp. in solution delivery and portfolio management roles.
