- Scholastic announced today that Mary Beech has been named Scholastic’s Chief Marketing & Transformation Officer. These are the details.
Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) — the global children’s publishing, education and media company — announced today that Mary Beech has been named Scholastic’s Chief Marketing & Transformation Officer, effective January 1, 2022. A new role for the company and based in New York, Beech will be charged with creating greater customer centricity, data-driven activations with a focus on digital, and connectivity throughout Scholastic to better serve educators, caregivers, and children.
Beech has been an independent director on Scholastic’s Board since 2018 – from which she will resign in advance of her new position which reports directly to Chief Executive Officer and President Peter Warwick.
Beech has most recently served as the CEO of Sarah Flint, a direct-to-consumer and luxury footwear brand for women where she was responsible for the growth of the brand and business. And prior to joining Sarah Flint in February 2020, Beech was the principal of MRB Brand Consulting, having also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Kate Spade New York for 7 years where she was responsible for all aspects of marketing and communications for the brand. Between 2000 and 2013, Beech held various management, marketing, licensing and brand management positions at The Walt Disney Company, including responsibility for the launch and growth of the Disney Princess brand. And Hher leadership at Disney culminated in her role as Senior Vice President, Global Licensing and Marketing for Disney/Pixar Animation.
KEY QUOTES:
“Mary’s new role is an important part of our larger strategy for Scholastic, leveraging our data and technology investments and transforming how cross-functional collaboration is executed at the company. During her tenure on the Scholastic Board, Mary has brought insightful leadership and displayed a shared commitment to our mission of reaching every child through literacy. She is a passionate leader who has proven her marketing and transformational strength through her work with powerful brands such as Disney and Kate Spade.”
— Chief Executive Officer and President Peter Warwick
“From my experience as a Board member, Scholastic has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to its mission and the strength of brand to span generations, and I’m energized by this opportunity to be part of a leadership team that I have come to know is so deeply rooted in children’s publishing and education.”
— Mary Beech
“Building on the trust that young readers, teachers and parents have in the Scholastic brand, our opportunity today is to realize our mission in increasingly innovative ways that anticipate evolving market needs. In Mary, I saw an incredible talent of unleashing the power of a brand and directly connecting to customers.”
— Iole Lucchese, Scholastic Chief Strategy Officer and Chair of the Board
