Listen to this articlePress release: Hartz
In an exciting period of growth, leading pet care manufacturer and marketer Hartz has strengthened its already strong leadership team by appointing Tina Le Lay as president and chief operating officer and Dai Kageyama as vice president of marketing.
These promotions come as the company completes a transition focused on its dog and cat care product assortment. Hartz today is no longer a one-stop shop for all pet needs like it used to be, serving pets from goldfish to birds, rabbits, guinea pigs and more. The company’s nationally trusted product portfolio has changed to focus solely on its signature dog and cat product portfolio – a strategic move reflected in the new Hartz brand logo design, including the heart-shaped icon of a dog and cat hugging each other.
We live in unprecedented times, when pet owners are willing to give up their basic needs to satisfy their furry family members. This is true not only in the US but in many countries around the world, and Hartz’s parent company, Unicharm, a leading global CPG company based in Tokyo, Japan, knows all too well how pet parents have raised the pet care level. Unicharm guided Hartz, providing innovation, technology and marketing support so the company could transition into a more premium pet care portfolio focused on serving dogs and cats.
Le Lay – a longtime member of Hartz for 17 years – led marketing efforts across the cat treat, dog treat, animal health, hygiene and toy categories. Formerly chief marketing officer, she led the development of the “Unconditional Love” brand communications platform and national campaign, celebrating the rewards and challenges of shared life between pets and humans.
“Hartz is almost 100 years old, there aren’t many brands in our history that have managed to stay relevant for generations to come. Meta and TikTok are specifically where the younger pet parent chooses to spend time, prompting us to reevaluate how we approach our content. What does it mean to be truly ahead of society?” explained Le Lay. “I have 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 goal as we develop our products is always to please both parent and pet.”
Previously the senior director of marketing – cat treats at Hartz, Kageyama led marketing for the Delectables cat treat brand. Under his leadership, Delectables rose to become 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 the trending music clips, “Grab Your Furry Friends” and “Pawing For More”, on TikTok. In his new role, he will oversee all categories, while directly managing the Delectables business.
Kageyama’s attention is focused on driving further market share gains for Delectables by expanding reach to more cat owners. “It is my mission to ensure that the sub-brands are uniquely developed and meaningfully connect back to the Delectables masterbrand. For the next year, our goal is to reach all cat parents and show them how they can treat and bond with their cats better than ever. I especially look forward to sharing our upcoming news and product innovations.”
Hartz 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 commented, “Tina and Dai were chosen for these positions because they understand not only the pet landscape of today, but also the pet landscape of tomorrow. They have represented a 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 members of the family. I am delighted to congratulate them on these well-deserved milestones.”
