NEW YORK — BARK, Inc., parent company of BarkBox, announced the appointment of Cindy Gustafson to chief marketing officer on May 11. Gustafson will direct BARK’s marketing, developing and executing strategies to enhance the brand and drive growth.

Prior to her position with BARK, Gustafson served as global chief marketing officer for WW International, Inc. (formerly Weight Watchers), in which she built the company’s global marketing practices, modernized the brand, expanded its customer base and increased its performance marketing initiatives. Gustafson also has more than 20 years of experience working for Nike, American Express, Jaguar/Land Rover, Unilever, Booking.com, Volvo and more.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cindy to BARK and excited for her to help lead two of our strategic priorities and growth drivers: Be BARK and Food,” said Matt Meeker, co-founder, executive chairman and chief executive officer of BARK. “She will be involved in unifying the BARK brand and customer experience across our product categories, with a focus on growing our presence in food. Cindy is a recognized thought leader and accomplished practitioner in marketing, advertising, and media, with significant experience growing subscription-based businesses and building lasting connections with consumers. Her love for dogs will help continue to advance our mission to make dogs as happy as they make us.”

Gustafson has experience in brand strategy, media planning, investing and advertising, recruitment, influencer marketing and more. She has been recognized for her work in reinventing media’s role within brand development by the American Advertising Federation, Ad Age, Adweek and Cynopsis Media.

“As a career-long brand builder, I have profound admiration for the unique and impactful voice BARK has honed over time, as well as the deep relationships the company possesses with its millions of passionate customers,” Gustafson said. “BARK’s digitally native, data-driven, and dog-obsessed culture positions the company to thrive in today’s consumer era. The purity, focus, and commitment the team has to its mission — and how it drives everything BARK does — is what makes this opportunity so remarkable for me. I look forward to continuing to enhance the lives of dogs and their parents.”

BARK’s current subscriptions include BARKBox, BARK Super Chewer, BARK Bright and BARK Food, which offers personalized pet nutrition.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.