Over 20 years of results developing successful brands and businesses into billion-dollar plus enterprises. Derek joined Yesway in June 2018 to help develop the fast-growing retail brand with over 425 locations into a retail force. He served as Chief Marketing Officer and oversaw all merchandising, marketing, advertising, private label, procurement, and brand engagement. He led the efforts to establish relationships with Yesway’s supplier partners to drive aggressive growth and improve the organization’s go-to-market strategic plan. He also cultivated the growth and stewardship of the Yesway brand with a keen focus on the customer, ensuring the organization’s digital, social, mobile, and loyalty initiatives resonated.

Derek now serves as Head of Guest Experience for BP, where he is focused on elevating customer engagement and delivering best-in-class experiences across the company’s retail footprint.

Prior to joining Yesway, Derek was Chief Customer Officer for Rutter’s. He led all consumer engagement and implemented best-in-class programs and marketing initiatives to keep Rutter’s at the forefront of the global convenience retail industry. Before Rutter’s, he was the SVP of Marketing & Merchandising for Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores, MACS, the largest ExxonMobil branded wholesaler in the country with 300+ retail and wholesale stores. He helped lead a team to successfully rebrand, re-merchandise, and re-launch 100+ retail locations as part of an exclusive brand developer agreement with Circle K.

Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), and drove integrated marketing and communications efforts to provide knowledge, connections, and advocacy to NACS retail and supplier members.

Prior to joining NACS, Derek worked for 8 years as the Director of Marketing for Giant Eagle Inc., the Pittsburgh, PA-based company that operates more than 220 Giant Eagle grocery stores and 200 GetGo convenience stores. He was instrumental in the brand development of GetGo, fuelperks!, Market District, and Giant Eagle Express stores; and also provided marketing leadership for beer, wine, spirits, video, retail banking, and center store grocery categories.

His prior experiences include several major companies including Nabisco Foods, Goldman Sachs, and Procter & Gamble. He is an experienced brand developer, chief marketer, merchant, and innovator who has launched numerous packaged goods, CRM, and retail brands and store formats.