IRVINE, Calif. — Advantage Solutions has announced the hires of Jack Pestello as chief operating officer of branded services and Francesco Tinto as chief digital officer, both reporting to Advantage CEO Dave Peacock.
Pestello joins Advantage with 30 years of global retail experience, including building and executing innovative merchandising programs. As COO of branded services, Pestello will lead Advantage Sales, which provides industry-leading headquarter sales services, retail services and business process outsourcing for brands and retailers across all channels of trade in the U.S. and Canada. He most recently served as a senior advisor in Boston Consulting Group’s consumer practice, partnering primarily with retail and manufacturing CEOs on growth strategies, operational and organizational design, merchandising, sustainability and product development. Pestello was previously an executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Big Lots, where he led the omnichannel merchant team and was responsible for buying, planning, financial services, pricing and promotions. He spent seven years with Walmart, where as senior vice president and general manager for grocery, he oversaw a $66 billion omnichannel portfolio across the company’s largest merchandise division and was honored as a Walmart “SVP of the Year.” His global experience includes serving as the head of trade for Woolworth’s Australia Limited, where he led the grocery team for Australia’s largest supermarket business and managed and sourced the private brand portfolio. Pestello’s early career includes 20 years at Daymon in roles leading new business development, international operations and private brands.
As Advantage’s chief digital officer, Tinto will oversee the company’s information technology team and Advantage Intelligence, a portfolio of software solutions and services that turn data into problem-solving insights and strategies that drive demand, distribution and supply chain efficiencies. His 30 years of technology experience includes leadership roles at some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Kraft Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble and Walgreens Boots Alliance, where he most recently served as global chief information officer. In that role, Tinto oversaw the company’s digital transformation, launching a new digital experience and customer insights platform that delivered personalized offerings and blended online and offline customer experiences. Earlier, he was the global chief information officer for Kraft Heinz, where he led the complete technology integration for the merger between Kraft Foods and Heinz, defining streamlined operating processes and implementing system, application and product solutions. Prior to that, Tinto spent more than a decade in information services and technology leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, where he was based in Rome. His areas of expertise include data analytics, business intelligence, consumer solutions development, business process optimization and technical services.
“Jack and Francesco each have long histories of leading high-performing teams, streamlining processes and innovating for the future,” Peacock said. “I’m excited to welcome them to Advantage and am looking forward to the immediate value they will add to our leadership team and to our company as we work to better enable the organization to evolve, drive growth and deliver strong results.”