Tractor Supply Names Kimberley Gardiner CMO, Succeeding Christi Korzekwa

Tractor Supply Company, which also owns and operates pet specialty supply retailer Petsense, has announced that Kimberley Gardiner has joined the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), succeeding Christi Korzekwa who previously announced her plans to retire.

Gardiner joins Tractor Supply from Volkswagen of America, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President since 2020. In this role, she led brand strategy, brand and retail content, media planning, dealer marketing operations and consumer experience marketing. Before Volkswagen, Gardiner held various leadership positions in the automotive industry, including serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for Mitsubishi Motors North America and Director of Marketing for Kia Motors America. Previously, she served as CMO and Vice President of Operations for 5th Kind, a global digital asset management company. She spent 15 years with Toyota Motor Sales, USA in roles of increasing responsibility.

Gardiner graduated from Mills College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and earned her MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Gardiner currently serves on the Brand Innovators Marketing Leadership Council and the PopTech Advisory Board.

Under Korzekwa’s leadership, the Tractor Supply brand significantly improved its unaided brand awareness and cultivated a highly engaged customer base.

“We are excited to welcome Kimberley to Tractor Supply. She is a creative marketer with a proven track record of success in developing and implementing growth strategies. Her extensive background and data-driven approach to brand development, as well as her reputation for innovation, will help evolve our marketing organization and continue to build on the strength of the Tractor Supply brand,” said Hal Lawton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tractor Supply.

“Over the last ten years, Christi has been a driving force behind our marketing programs that have deepened our connection with our customers,” said Lawton. “Christi was instrumental in the development of our Neighbor’s Club loyalty program in 2015 and its reinvention in 2021 to a tiered membership program with more than 26 million members today. On behalf of the Tractor Supply team, we are truly grateful to Christi for her service and wish her the best in her retirement.”