Feb 8, 2021

(Photo via LinkedIn) Maria Gunther, a partner at Trellist Marketing and Technology since 2016, has been appointed as its chief executive officer, taking over for founding partner and longtime CEO David Atadan. Atadan will become chief ventures officer, as well as continue as chief operations officer, and serve on the board of the noted Wilmington marketing and tech firm. Gunther’s rise in the company, which counts both regional businesses and Fortune 500 orgs among its clients, has been steady since she first joined Trellist in 2005 as a design contractor. She soon moved into project management, and was promoted to an account services lead in 2010 before she was unanimously elected as a partner in the organization in 2016. Trillist was founded in 1995 and celebrated a quarter-century this past fall. Gunther’s promotion “signals the organization’s evolution from an entrepreneurial company to a corporation,” said Trellist comms leader Tiffany Hamilton in a statement. Atadan plans to focus on the company’s spinoff business ventures, including Trellist’s successful Andy Lally ALIVE digital marketing and technology ecosystem serving the automotive and motorsports vertical. ALIVE’s products include Motorcrush, Track Rabbit and Awesome Joe Auctions, an online auto auction platform for motorsports enthusiasts. As CEO, Gunther aims to “be reflective of what I can bring to the position in order to keep the company running in a sustainable way — as well as working with the extended leadership team to explore areas of growth that are in line with our charter, mission, and vision,” she said.