Icahn Automotive, an Icahn Enterprises L.P. company, which owns and operates leading service provider Pep Boys, has announced the appointment of two senior executives: Elisa Bannon-Jones as chief people officer (CPO) and Deborah Brundage as chief marketing officer (CMO). Bannon-Jones will lead the overall human resources strategy, overseeing compensation and benefits, talent acquisition and performance and development. Brundage will direct the company’s marketing, communications and customer experience strategies, with a strong focus on consumer insights and digital engagement.
Brian Kaner, CEO, Service said, “Our people and customers are central to everything we do. Elisa and Deborah both bring significant executive expertise and unique perspectives that we are confident will strengthen our culture, enhance our customer experience, and improve our business. As we continue to build a separate Service business, Elisa and Deborah complement a strong leadership team that is poised to capture the many opportunities that exist in the industry.”
Most recently, Bannon-Jones was chief human resources officer at Frontier Communications, where she had responsibility for developing and executing the human resource strategy in support of the overall strategic direction of the organization. Prior to joining Frontier Communications, Bannon-Jones served in human resources, sales and operations leadership roles at The Budget Group, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Brightstar Corp.
Bannon-Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and leadership and a master’s degree in higher education, specializing in adult education, from Capella University. She has certifications from the Kellogg Strategic Human Resources and Cornell Women in Executive Leadership programs, and a master human capital strategist designation in organizational effectiveness from the Human Capital Institute. She is a member of the Consero talent management advisory board and the Capella University School of Business and Technology business advisory board.
Brundage comes to the company after having served as CMO at Monro Inc., where she led a rebranding strategy and oversaw the marketing and customer service teams. Prior to joining Monro, she spent nearly 17 years with Procter & Gamble, where she held roles of increasing responsibility and worked on a diverse group of categories and well-known consumer products.
Early in Brundage’s career, she worked in the audit practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Rochester Simon School of Business. She is also an adjunct professor at the Simon School of Business.
