GSTV Expands Leadership Team With Key Hires, Board Appointments and Executive Promotions to Fuel Next Phase of Growth
Craig Abolt
Eric Kozik
Robert Rivenburgh
John Kahan
Kristina Lutz
Aaron Olson
Former Real Chemistry executive Craig Abolt named Chief Financial Officer; former Cox Media and Bank of America Merrill Lynch executive Eric Kozik joins as Chief Strategy Officer
Board welcomes former Publicis Commerce CEO Robert Rivenburgh and Stagwell Chief AI Officer John Kahan; Kristina Lutz and Aaron Olson promoted to CMO and CTO
DETROIT, MI — March 18, 2026 — GSTV, the national on-the-go video network engaging and entertaining targeted audiences at scale across tens of thousands of fuel retailers, today announced a series of key leadership hires, promotions, and board member updates as it sets its sights on continued growth. The company has hired former Real Chemistry executive Craig Abolt as Chief Financial Officer, along with Cox Media Group alum Eric Kozik as Chief Strategy Officer. Additionally, the company has strengthened its board with the appointments of John Kahan, Chief AI Officer of Stagwell, and Robert Rivenburgh, former Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Commerce and Mars United Commerce. GSTV has also promoted Kristina Lutz to Chief Marketing Officer and Aaron Olson to Chief Technology Officer. These additions and promotions strengthen GSTV’s executive and board teams as the company builds on a year of significant momentum. In 2025, GSTV was acquired by MidOcean Partners following five years of rapid growth that saw the company triple its business. The partnership reflects a shared belief that the future of media lies at the intersection of video, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and retail media, increasingly powered by programmatic.
GSTV also achieved major milestones in 2025, including a partnership with Casey's—the third-largest convenience retailer and fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S.—to further expand the Casey’s Access Retail Media Network. The company also launched standout sponsored tentpole campaigns, including “Summer of Drive” and “Holiday Rush,” which brought together major brand and content partners around peak travel and spending moments.
“As the digital media and retailer markets continue to accelerate, our evolved leadership team reinforces GSTV’s value, growth trajectory and positions us for our next phase of innovation,” said Sean McCaffrey, President and CEO of GSTV. “In today’s fragmented media landscape, advertisers are demanding greater value, efficiency, and innovation—along with speed and measurable results which are equally demanded of our retailer partners. The addition of Craig and Eric to our executive team, John and Robert to our board, and the promotions of Kristina and Aaron further position GSTV to lead the market and deliver unmatched impact for our brand and retail partners.”
Craig Abolt will serve as Chief Financial Officer of GSTV, bringing extensive experience in business transformation, rapid revenue growth, M&A execution, and solving complex challenges to maximize value. A career CFO, he has delivered impactful financial leadership across both high-growth startups and global enterprises. Most recently, Abolt was CFO at Real Chemistry, a global leader in AI-driven insights, data analytics, and marketing and communications solutions for the healthcare industry, where revenue grew significantly and EBITDA nearly tripled during his tenure. Previously, he served as CFO at Intersection/CityBridge, where he played a key role in the rollout of LinkNYC, and held CFO roles at Titan, Covanta Holding Corporation, and DIRECTV Latin America. At GSTV, Abolt will lead the company’s financial strategy and operations, driving long-term value creation.
Eric Kozik joins GSTV as Chief Strategy Officer, bringing deep experience in strategy, finance, and corporate development across media, technology, and private equity-backed businesses. Pairing strategic vision with financial rigor, he has a strong track record of driving transformation and value creation through both organic growth and strategic transactions. Prior to GSTV, Kozik served as Head of Corporate Development & Innovation, M&A at Cox Media Group under Apollo ownership, and earlier worked in investment banking at Moelis & Company and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he executed more than $4 billion in transactions. At GSTV, he will lead enterprise strategy, corporate development, strategic partnerships, and key value creation initiatives.
John Kahan brings more than 30 years of experience serving on both for-profit and nonprofit boards and currently serves as Chief AI Officer at Stagwell. A data-driven leader with over four decades of deep experience spanning data, AI, global business, and technology transformation, Kahan also served as Chairman of the Board of Advisors at Stagwell, is an Operating Partner at MidOcean Partners, and a board member for Zonda, GHR Resources, U.S. Venture, Inc., and the Novartis Foundation. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of The Aaron Mathew SIDS Research Guild of Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and Strategic Data Science Advisor to the Director of The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Earlier in his career, Kahan was the first Vice President and Chief Data Analytics Officer at Microsoft, which was announced at the UN to infuse AI and data to help solve world challenges. Kahan spent roughly 20 years at Microsoft, helping shape the enterprise data strategy alongside senior leadership that fueled Microsoft’s massive growth into one of the most valuable companies in the world. Prior to Microsoft, he spent 18 years at IBM, ultimately serving as Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications and leading the transformation of marketing across the company.
Robert Rivenburgh is a seasoned leader in the marketing and advertising industry, most recently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Commerce and Mars United Commerce. An accomplished CEO with deep expertise in marketing management, digital strategy, and integrated commerce, he has built a career helping global brands drive growth through innovative marketing and retail strategies. Prior to Publicis Commerce, Rivenburgh held multiple leadership roles at Mars United Commerce, including Global CEO, CEO North America, and Chief Operating Officer. Earlier in his career, he held marketing leadership roles at Diageo and Nestlé USA.
Kristina Lutz has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer after serving as Executive Vice President, Marketing at GSTV, with a proven track record of driving growth, building strategic partnerships, cultivating relationships, and leading high-performing teams across agencies, publishers, and brands. As CMO, she leads consumer experience design, content partnerships, creative, go-to-market strategy, ad solutions, insights and analytics, PR/marketing communications, brand activation, and events – effectively elevating awareness and driving commercial growth. Prior to GSTV, Kristina served on the leadership team at CarSaver, an auto e-commerce startup. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at Starcom and iHeartMedia, including President of Investment at Starcom where she oversaw $6B in U.S. media activation and helped drive cross-channel marketplace innovation through Publicis Media Exchange (PMX).
Aaron Olson has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer, having most recently served as Executive Vice President, Technology and Product at GSTV. In the role, Olson is responsible for leading product operations and driving all company technology strategy and technological resources related to GSTV. He will oversee a team focused on driving efficiencies in GSTV’s use of its talent, data, teams, and tools to streamline and accelerate work across the organization. Before joining GSTV, Olson held technology, design, and editorial roles for The Detroit News, The Miami Herald, and Michigan State University.
For more information on GSTV’s leadership team, please visit gstv.com/leadership-team.