Dive Brief:

• Nature’s Path appointed Laura Chamberlain its first-ever chief customer officer, the organic food company announced Monday. Her first day was June 30, a spokesperson told CX Dive. 
• In her new role, Chamberlain manages the U.S. sales team and leads the company’s customer strategy across all U.S. channels.
• “As Nature’s Path continues its robust expansion in the United States, we’re proud to welcome Laura to our executive leadership team,” Arjan Stephens, president of Nature’s Path Organic Foods, said in a prepared statement. “Her deep industry experience, customer-first mindset, and passion for building high-performing teams will be instrumental as we continue spreading our mission with purpose and passion.”

Dive Insight:

Nature’s Path joins a broader trend of companies establishing chief customer officer roles.

The role has grown in the past decade, with adoption surging in the 2010s, according to Shari Srebnick, principal analyst at Forrester. 

“However, it appears the pace may be leveling — but still continuing — as more companies have already established some form of customer-aligned executive leadership,” Srebnick told CX Dive in an email. “Job posting on platforms like LinkedIn indicate continued hiring, but public data on appointment trends remains limited.”

Chamberlain is charged with leading U.S. retail sales strategy, identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities, and establishing and maintaining relationships with business partners, a Nature’s Path spokesperson told CX Dive.

As part of the focus on accelerating Nature’s Path’s overall expansion in the U.S., Chamberlain will identify new customer segments.

Chamberlain arrives at Nature’s Path with more than 25 years of experience in consumer goods and a history of “delivering customer-centric, commercially impactful strategies,” the company said. 

She most recently served as chief customer officer at Nature’s Way, a vitamin and supplement company, and has held leadership and cross-functional roles at companies such as Danone, Hershey, Clorox and Johnson & Johnson.