Jones Soda Co. will be looking for its fourth CEO in as many years after the Oct. 25 departure of David Knight, who’s been president/CEO since June of 2023. While a search is underway for a permanent CEO, the role will be filled by Chairman Paul Norman.
No explanation was given for the departure of Knight, who immediately came to Jones from some startups but earlier was vice president of marketing for PepsiCo’s Gatorade and also had an executive role at Quaker Oats. Mark Murray was CEO from late 2020 to 2023, and Jennifer Cue served eight years as CEO until she left in 2020.
On Sept. 23, Jones Soda terminated the employment of Chief Operating Officer Eric Bittner.
Norman has served as a director on the Jones board since 2019 and as chairman since 2022. He spent decades at Kellogg Co., where he was president of Kellogg's North America business from 2015 to 2018.
The company makes a number of quirky sodas, some with customized labels, and makes cannabis-infused drinks under its Mary Jones subsidiary. In its half-year report, for the period ending June 30, Jones’ revenues were up substantially, to $12.2 million from $8.7 in the first half of 2023, but also increasing was the net loss, -$2.7 million, up from -$2.4 million in half of 2023.