Ascension Advisory Board
Strategic Marketing Management

Brian Ruder is a former CMO and CEO with over 23 years of experience leading several Fortune 100 consumer products and financial services companies.

From 1997 – 2001 he served as Corporate EVP/Chief Marketing Officer for Citigroup where he built worldwide strategic marketing capacity in areas that included segment marketing, product development, customer insights, branding, advertising, and customer relationship management.

Prior to joining Citi Brian served for 16 years as President/CEO of Heinz, USA and President/CEO of Weight Watchers Food Company, a unit of Heinz. At Heinz Brian led the development of plastic packaging for Heinz Ketchup and spearheaded the development of Smart Ones meals and desserts for Weight Watchers.

Before Heinz Brian worked for Pepsi Cola USA holding various mid and senior level strategic marketing positions.

Today Brian is active on numerous non-profit organizations including the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries in Beacon, NY. This research-based scientific and policy institute studies the affects of humanity on recreation, development, and the environment.

Additionally Ruder recently completed a term as chairman of the Adirondack Council, the preeminent watchdog organization focused on ensuring ecological integrity and natural character to Adirondack Park, the largest park in the continental United States.

In the early 2000’s Brian chaired the board of the Metro New York chapter of the World Presidents’ Organization. In 1996 he was featured in a Fortune Magazine cover story entitled “Top Executives in their Forties” and a cover article in the New York Times Sunday business section on HJ Heinz acquisition and organic foods strategies.

Brian also leads the Leadership Fellows Program at NYU’s Stern School of Business for second year MBA’s. Fellows are academic leaders in their class. The program focuses on development of personal leadership skills, driving teams for innovation and exposure to outside CEO’s in an intimate setting each month.

Brian earned an undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA in marketing from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Brian lives in Scarsdale, NY area with his wife and they enjoy a country home in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.