ST. LOUIS — Instinct Pet Food announced the appointment of Jeff Spears as chief commercial digital officer, a newly created position within the company’s Senior Leadership team. According to Instinct, with Spears on its team, the company is poised to deepen its digital presence and connect with more pet parents than ever before.

In his new role, Spears will lead the strategy and execution of digital commerce initiatives across Instinct’s growing omni-channel footprint. His responsibilities will include overseeing online-only e-commerce customers and building the company’s direct-to-consumer capabilities, a key area of investment as part of Instinct’s growth plan.

 “I’m excited to join Instinct — where clean, purposeful feeding drives our belief that healthier food means healthier pets. I can’t wait to help more pet parents discover us,” Spears said.

Spears brings more than a decade of digital leadership experience, including senior roles at Munchkin Baby Products and “I and Love and You,” another premium pet food brand. He also held strategic positions at The Walt Disney Company, where he helped launch the company’s first iPhone game and managed high-profile partnerships with Apple, Google, Verizon and AT&T.

“The Instinct team looks forward to Jeff’s leadership as we seek to accelerate growth and further our mission to transform the lives of pets through fresh, raw nutrition,” said Beau Mainous, chief executive officer of Instinct. “Jeff brings deep expertise in the digital space that will be a strong complement to our omni-channel business. As a passionate and proven leader and recognized expert within the industry, adding Jeff to our talented leadership team expands our capabilities and will help accelerate our ambitious growth strategy.”

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.