Native Pet names Ariel Stoddard its first chief marketing officer
Bottom line
Native Pet has named Ariel Stoddard as its first chief marketing officer, a newly created role that signals a more formal push on brand and growth as the pet supplement company expands its national footprint. Stoddard joins from MeUndies, where she most recently served in senior growth leadership, and previously held leadership roles at Fabletics. Native Pet said she will lead marketing strategy as the company enters its “next phase of growth.” The brand, founded in 2017, says its products are now sold in more than 13,000 retail locations nationwide. (petfoodindustry.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the appointment is less about one executive move and more about what it says about the pet supplement category. Native Pet has been building distribution, adding senior leaders across supply chain, R&D, and pet specialty sales earlier this year, and emphasizing clinically backed formulations and product quality claims. A dedicated CMO suggests the company is preparing to compete more aggressively for pet parent attention across retail and direct channels, which could mean more supplement marketing reaching clients and more questions in the exam room about efficacy, safety, and ingredient transparency. (petage.com)
What to watch: Watch for new brand campaigns, retail expansion efforts, and whether Native Pet pairs its marketing push with more published product data or veterinary-facing education. (petfoodindustry.com)
Native Pet has appointed Ariel Stoddard as its first chief marketing officer, giving the clean-label pet supplement brand a dedicated marketing chief as it scales nationally. The company said Stoddard will lead marketing strategy during its next growth phase, a notable step for a brand that has moved quickly from startup status into broad retail distribution. (petfoodindustry.com)
The hire fits a broader expansion pattern at Native Pet. Founded in 2017, the company says it now has products in more than 13,000 retail locations nationwide. In April 2026, Native Pet announced other senior additions in supply chain, research and development, and pet specialty sales, saying those hires were meant to scale operations, support product innovation, and deepen retail partnerships. That earlier announcement also underscored the company’s focus on quality, safety, transparency, and clinically backed formulations. (petfoodindustry.com)
Stoddard brings a consumer brand background rather than a traditional pet health résumé. Reporting on the appointment said she previously helped scale MeUndies and Fabletics, two digitally driven consumer brands known for direct-to-consumer marketing and membership-style customer relationships. Earlier coverage of her move to MeUndies described her as leading performance marketing and customer experience, while her Fabletics work included category expansion and brand-building. That experience helps explain why Native Pet’s leadership appears to be betting on a more sophisticated consumer growth strategy as competition intensifies in supplements. (petfoodindustry.com)
Native Pet’s CEO and co-founder, Dan Schaefer, framed the appointment as part of taking the company “to the next level,” according to trade coverage. Pet Age likewise described the move as deliberate, tying it to the brand’s continued expansion. While Native Pet’s own release was not readily available in full through open web results, multiple trade and wire-indexed reports aligned on the core facts: this is the company’s first CMO, Stoddard is the appointee, and the role is tied to growth. (petfoodindustry.com)
Industry reaction so far has been limited mostly to trade coverage rather than outside analyst commentary, which is typical for a private-company executive hire. Even so, the context is telling. Native Pet has been steadily professionalizing its leadership bench, and its earlier expansion of R&D and supply chain leadership suggests the company is trying to balance consumer demand generation with product development and operational scale. That combination matters in supplements, where marketing can outpace evidence if companies are not careful. (petage.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this appointment is a signal that supplement brands are continuing to mature into more sophisticated consumer health marketers. As Native Pet broadens reach, clinics may see more pet parents arriving with strong brand awareness and specific product requests shaped by retail and digital campaigns. That raises the stakes for veterinary teams to be ready with clear guidance on evidence, formulation quality, contamination screening, intended use, and where supplements fit, or don’t fit, alongside medical care. Native Pet’s prior messaging around clinically backed formulations and Clean Label Project certification may resonate with clients, but those claims still need to be interpreted in a clinical context. (petage.com)
The move also reflects a larger business reality: pet supplements are no longer a niche shelf set. Brands that can combine retail distribution, consumer marketing, and quality messaging may gain share quickly, especially as pet parents increasingly shop across specialty, mass, and e-commerce channels. For veterinarians, that means the competitive environment around over-the-counter wellness products is likely to get louder, not quieter. (petfoodindustry.com)
What to watch: The next signs of impact will likely be new consumer campaigns, expanded retailer partnerships, and any effort by Native Pet to back its marketing with more published data, clinical substantiation, or veterinary-channel education. (petfoodindustry.com)