Athletic Brewing Company, a leading nonalcoholic brewer, announced Dan Kleinman has been appointed chief marketing officer after a monthslong search, per information shared with Marketing Dive.
Kleinman, whose appointment takes effect Sept. 8, will take over the role from Senior Marketing Director Rosalie Kennedy. Kennedy held the position in the interim after Andrew Katz, who served as CMO for nearly five years and recently left the company.
“As Athletic Brewing continues to evolve from an industry pioneer into a transcendent global brand, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Dan Kleinman to our senior leadership team,” said Bill Shufelt, co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Company in press materials. “Dan brings an exceptional track record of building culturally relevant brands and scaling them into category leaders.”
Prior to joining the company, Kleinman was the CMO of Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits. His time at the company spanned nearly a decade, the last three years spent in the top marketing role. While at the company, he oversaw the growth of the Josh Cellars brand. Kleinman also held various marketing positions at alcohol giant Diageo over the course of 16 years.
Athletic Brewing has carved out a 20.7% market share of off-premise sales in the increasingly competitive nonalcoholic beer category, per Circana data cited in press materials. The brand has invested heavily in advertising in recent years. In May, the brewer said it expects to spend 120% more on national media compared to a year ago. Sports have been a particularly strong focus for the brand and it recently announced a multiyear partnership with MetLife Stadium and its two resident teams: the New York Jets and the New York Giants.
“What excites me most is that Athletic sits at the intersection of meaningful shifts in how modern adults are choosing to connect and socialize today,” said Kleinman in press materials. “People still value the taste, ritual, and sense of connection that come with sharing a brew, but, more importantly, they love what it has always represented — the chance to celebrate life’s best moments with the people they care most about.”
The nonalcoholic beer category has seen significant growth, and now makes up 87% of all non-alcohol sales in the U.S., per Beer Institute data. The category saw a growth of 23% in 2025. Alcohol consumption has fallen considerably in recent years, with 54% of U.S. adults saying they drink as of 2025, the lowest in nearly 90 years, as measured by Gallup. That number is even lower among young Americans at 50%.
As a result, the category has seen increased competition. Actor Tom Holland launched his own brand of nonalcoholic beer, Bero, in 2024. Large alcoholic beer brands have also gotten into the space, notably Heineken, which has seen success with its 0.0 product.
