Empower Strengthens Marketing Leadership Team with Senior Talent from Meta, Marriott, and Zeno

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Sep 16, 2026, 09:30 ET

New leaders join Chief Marketing Officer Sangita Woerner as Empower invests in building a more consumer-focused financial brand.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Empower today announced four senior appointments to its marketing organization as the company invests in building a more relevant and consumer-focused financial brand. Led by Chief Marketing Officer Sangita Woerner, the marketing organization is focused on strengthening how people understand, experience, and connect with Empower, from the stories they see in the marketplace to the products and services they use.

Empower's new marketing leaders bring experience from companies including Meta, Marriott International, IBM, Unilever, and Zeno Group.

Joining the organization are Prashant Gaba, Chief Customer Experience Officer; Kim Blanding, Head of Brand Marketing; Tracey Thiele, Head of Brand Communications; and Patrick Strange, Head of User Experience. They bring experience from companies including Meta, Marriott International, IBM, Unilever, and Zeno Group.

"Empower has an opportunity to redefine what people expect from a financial services brand," said Sangita Woerner, Chief Marketing Officer of Empower. "We want to build a brand that is relevant to people's lives and helps them build a better relationship with their money. To do that, the experience has to live up to the promise. The brand people see, the stories we tell, and the experience they have with Empower all need to work together. Prashant, Kim, Tracey, and Patrick bring the experience and perspective to help us get there."

Gaba brings 25 years of experience across customer experience, digital transformation, data, and analytics. He joins Empower from Marriott International, where he led global customer growth initiatives and helped build the company's customer experience and CRM strategy. He previously spent 15 years at IBM. At Empower, Gaba will lead the company's customer experience strategy, using data, insights, and technology to create a more connected experience for customers.

Blanding brings more than 20 years of marketing experience across consumer brands and technology. She most recently led global marketing for Meta's AI wearables portfolio, including Ray-Ban Meta and Quest. She previously held leadership roles at Unilever and Meta and founded her own consumer products company. At Empower, Blanding will lead brand marketing, shaping how the brand comes to life through campaigns, partnerships, and consumer experiences.

Thiele brings more than 20 years of experience building brands through communications. She joins Empower after 16 years at Zeno Group, where she helped grow the agency and shaped work for brands including Netflix, Robinhood, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Team USA, and Google. She previously held roles at Edelman, Motorola, and Unilever. At Empower, Thiele oversees earned media, social, creator, executive and employee communications, with a focus on integrated storytelling that builds relevance with consumers and strengthens how Empower shows up in culture.

Strange is an executive design leader with experience across fintech, technology, and consumer products. He spent a decade at Meta in senior roles spanning content design, product design, and business and payments platforms. Most recently, he was at Kueski, a Mexican buy now, pay later and online consumer lending platform. At Empower, Strange will lead user experience, focused on making the company's digital experiences more intuitive, useful and distinctly Empower.

About Empower
Recognized as a leader in retirement services and wealth management,² Empower administers more than $2.1 trillion in assets¹ for more than 20 million individuals through the provision of workplace and individual retirement plans, advice, financial planning and investments. Connect with us on empower.com, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram.

As of June 30, 2026. Information refers to all retirement business of Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America (EAICA) and its subsidiaries, including Empower Retirement, LLC; Empower Life & Annuity Insurance Company of New York (ELAINY); and Empower Annuity Insurance Company (EAIC), marketed under the Empower brand. Assets under Administration (AUA) refers to the assets administered by Empower. AUA does not reflect the financial stability or strength of a company.
Pensions & Investments DC Recordkeeper Survey (2025). Ranking measured by total number of participants as of December 31, 2025.

Empower refers to the products and services offered by Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, legal, or tax recommendations or advice.

"EMPOWER" and all associated logos and product names are trademarks of Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America.

The information contained herein is being provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. All visuals are illustrative only.

Katelyn Kwiatkowski [email protected]

SOURCE Empower