Executive Appointment

Seattle – October 19, 2026 -- Alaska Airlines has created a Chief Information Technology Officer role and named Amaresh Siva, a 29-year technology veteran from CVS Health, to fill it. Siva starts next month, reports directly to CEO Ben Minicucci and joins the company's Executive Committee.

Alaska consolidates technology and digital under one enterprise leader

The position is newly created. Siva will bring the airline's technology and digital capabilities together under a single executive and will set and execute the enterprise-wide technology, data and digital strategy.

His mandate covers strengthening core platforms, advancing digital capabilities and building scalable data and artificial intelligence foundations. Alaska links these goals to operational excellence, resilience and long-term growth.

East Dubuque, Illinois – October 19, 2026 -- Crescent Electric Supply Company has appointed Cindi Evans as Chief Revenue Officer, effective October 16, 2026, putting a 25-year commercial executive in charge of enterprise revenue strategy at one of the largest independent U.S. distributors of electrical hardware and supplies.

Evans takes charge of enterprise revenue strategy at Crescent

Evans will lead Crescent's revenue strategy with a focus on accelerating profitable growth, deepening customer and supplier relationships, and strengthening commercial execution. CEO Penny Cotner said the company looks forward to continuing its growth journey with Evans at the helm of its revenue functions.

Pittsburgh – October 19, 2026 -- Net Health CEO Ron Books is stepping down to become executive chairman, and the board has opened a search for his successor focused on enterprise-native AI. Books is returning to ECI Solutions as its CEO.

Books replaces Donna Morea as chairman, while she stays on as a director

Books takes the chair from Donna Morea, who remains on the board. He will guide the AI-native specialty platform's long-term strategy from the board level.

COO Patrick Rooney takes over as interim CEO during the search

Net Health appointed Rooney, its chief operating officer, to ensure operational continuity. The board is prioritizing candidates with a proven record of driving technological innovation and scaling enterprise-native artificial intelligence across specialized clinical platforms.

New York – October 19, 2026 -- Swiss sports supplement brand KA-EX has appointed Aaron Heidebreicht as CEO North America, as its US distribution passes 4,000 points of sale following a national launch across 2,200 GNC stores in August 2026.

Heidebreicht to lead US strategy from Nashville

Heidebreicht brings more than 20 years of sports nutrition leadership. He is a former professional baseball player who held positions at GNC and Nutrabolt. At KAGED he served as Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently he ran Applied Nutrition's North American business as CEO.

At KA-EX, he is responsible for US commercial strategy, retail expansion and building out the North American team from Nashville, Tennessee. Founder and CEO Pedro Schmidt called North America the company's most important growth market and said KA-EX is investing in a dedicated US team.

Boston – October 19, 2026 -- VIA Science, Inc. has created the post of Chief Mission Officer and appointed Joe Babiec, previously its Chief Commercial Officer, to fill it as the software provider scales globally.

Babiec moves from commercial chief to a mission-focused mandate

Babiec joined VIA in 2018. VIA supplies software to defense, law enforcement and humanitarian organizations. In the new role he will lead efforts to expand the company's mission impact with customers and the communities it serves.

The company defines its mission as securing data and AI for community safety, resilience and prosperity.

Internal and external remits cover customer decisions and public profile

Internally, Babiec will ensure that VIA's customer and partner decisions support that mission. Externally, he will raise awareness of VIA's impact as the company expands across the globe.

San Sebastián – – October 19, 2026 -- Viralgen, the AAV gene therapy contract manufacturer owned by Bayer unit AskBio, has appointed Bayer executive Angela Ochoa Chico as chief executive effective January 1, 2027, replacing Jimmy Vanhove after four years in the role.

Vanhove moves to lead Bayer's U.S. pharmaceutical supply network expansion

Vanhove will lead the development and expansion of Bayer's U.S. Pharmaceutical Product Supply Network, based in New Albany, Ohio. He will join the Pharmaceuticals Division's Product Supply Leadership Team.

Toronto – October 19, 2026 -- Vector Science and Therapeutics Corp. (TSXV: PAIN) has appointed Angus Jackson, a former investment banker at Outcome Capital, as Managing Director of Corporate Development. He will lead the company's inorganic growth initiatives, including acquisitions, investments and strategic partnerships.

Jackson takes charge of inorganic growth and supports organic expansion

Jackson will lead inorganic growth and assist with organic growth. His remit covers commercial expansion, strategic alliances, business development and selective mergers and acquisitions. He will also work with company leadership to assess opportunities that complement Vector's therapeutic delivery technologies, medical devices and peptide-related offerings.

LONDON – October 19, 2026 -- Strategic advisory firm Hakluyt has appointed Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister from 2010 to 2013 and current chair of Wellcome, to its international advisory board, effective immediately.

Gillard brings six years at the top of Australian government

Gillard served as deputy prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and then as prime minister until 2013, the first woman to hold the post. She was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1998. Earlier, she became a partner at the law firm Slater & Gordon and served as chief of staff to the premier of Victoria.

North Little Rock, Ark. – October 19, 2026 -- Sowell Management, a registered investment advisor whose nationwide advisor network represents more than $6.8 billion in client assets, has appointed Scott Dooley, CFA, as Chief Investment Officer and converted its investment management platform into the Sowell Office of the CIO.

The Office combines investment leadership, research, portfolio construction, advisor consulting and a curated network of specialized investment partners. Sowell says the structure lets independent advisors access institutional resources without building an internal investment department.

London – October 19, 2026 -- Lazard, Inc. (NYSE: LAZ) has appointed David Krap, formerly Managing Director and Co-Head of Consumer & Retail EMEA at J.P. Morgan, as Managing Director and Co-Head of European Consumer, Retail & Leisure.

Krap brings more than two decades of consumer M&A advisory experience to Lazard

Krap's focus areas are food and beverage, home and personal care, and select consumer health categories. Before J.P. Morgan, he held senior roles at Credit Suisse, Centerview Partners and UBS. He holds an honors degree from the European Business School London and is fluent in German and Spanish.

Krap will join Lazard's European financial advisory practice in London

He will sit within the firm's European financial advisory practice, led by Jean-Louis Girodolle and Cyrus Kapadia, who are both Co-Heads of European Investment Banking.