Phil Gergen is moving up to the C-suite.

Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) has promoted Gergen to chief information officer. He was previously senior vice president of technology.

According to company executives, Gergen’s elevation comes as Koozie Group has made significant strides in technology advancement under the promo pro’s leadership. The firm pointed to enhancements to Koozie Group’s order tracker system and providing secure access to order-related information as examples.

Phil Gergen, Koozie Group

“In his new role, Gergen will lead the digital, technical and IT systems teams to continuously improve the customer service experience, increase the company’s integrations with its customers and align the organization’s digital tools and presence,” Koozie Group said in a statement.

Gergen is a promo lifer.

After graduating from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a degree in information systems and technology, Gergen went to work for supplier Norwood. When Norwood was acquired by BIC Graphic North America in 2009, he joined the Top 40 company, which has since rebranded to Koozie Group.

Gergen has held tech-focused positions of increasing importance over the years, rising from an IT specialist and deskside support technician in his early days, to manager and director roles to now CIO.

Active in industry technology initiatives, Gergen has been involved with PromoStandards since its inception and currently serves as the group’s treasurer. PromoStandards is a collaborative effort among promo technology leaders that aims to reduce friction in transactions/order processing throughout the industry.

Based on reported 2021 North American promotional product revenue of $300 million, Koozie Group ranked sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. The new rankings, based on 2022 performance, are due out in July.