Leadership

Jim Hilt is Chief Executive Officer of HALO Branded Solutions, with more than 25 years of leadership experience across global brands. He most recently served as CEO of Asset Marketing Services, where he led a brand revitalization, streamlined operations, and guided the company’s sale to A-Mark Precious Metals. His career also includes senior leadership roles at Shutterfly, Express, Barnes & Noble, Sears, SAP, and IBM. Named a 2018 Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute, Jim is also a Trustee on the Board of the Washburn Center for Children in Minneapolis and the San Francisco Day School.

Erin DeCesare is Chief Product & Technology Officer at HALO, where she leads the company’s end-to-end product and technology strategy, including platform modernization, data and AI enablement, and operating discipline across Product and Engineering.

Erin brings deep experience building and scaling complex, exception-driven platforms. Most recently, she served as CTO at ezCater, where she led a 300+ person organization spanning product, engineering, analytics, and IT, and helped evolve the platform through rapid growth, pandemic disruption, and AI-assisted innovation. Earlier in her career, Erin held senior technology leadership roles at Vistaprint, leading global teams responsible for the company’s custom product ordering and fulfillment platform.

Across industries, Erin has focused on translating creative intent and human judgment into scalable, reliable systems. She is passionate about building platforms that respect real-world complexity while enabling durable growth.

Hemant Kumar joined HALO in 2022. He has extensive global experience working with Fortune 500 and high-growth companies. His expertise spans different industries including healthcare, credit cards, and automotive. He has lived and worked in India, Taiwan, Canada, and the USA. He is a key opinion leader within the finance fraternity and has spoken at various finance forums. In 2020, Sage recognized him as ‘Finance Futurist’ among 10 Global CFOs. Hemant is an Executive Scholar from Kellogg School of Management and is a Chartered Accountant (CPA eq.) and Management Accountant (CMA eq.). He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Hons.) from Delhi University.

Kim Sandifer joined HALO in 2020 as HALO’s first HR Business Partner with over 20 years of experience in business-facing HR and operational management roles. Sandifer held senior HR positions at several Fortune 500 companies over the course of her career and was instrumental in building a best-in-class HR function at HALO. Sandifer spent her first two years at the company partnering with senior leaders and standing up an HR Business Partner function focused on executing the company's talent strategies, developing leaders and improving organizational effectiveness. Sandifer was promoted to Chief HR Officer in 2023 and is a member of the Senior Leadership and Executive Teams. Mrs. Sandifer holds a BA in Finance and Economic from Elmhurst College and is a Smith College Leadership Consortium Alum.

Ms. Hernandez joined HALO in 2022. Prior to joining HALO, Ms. Hernandez served as Vice President Sales, Enterprise Account, and Employer Services at Equifax, a $29 Billion workforce solutions, data and technology company, headquartered in St. Louis. Ms. Hernandez has experience in all areas of the order lifecycle and brought a transformation and executive mindset coupled with a "can do", enthusiastic attitude to HALO. Ms. Hernandez holds a BA in Business Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Mr. Mounger joined HALO in 2018 with the acquisition of Sunrise Identity. Mounger started Sunrise in the early 90’s with a vision to be a full service promotional merchandise company servicing Fortune 100 companies.  Investing heavily in technology and compliance, Sunrise became one of the largest companies in the industry and has consistently been awarded as one of the best place to work. Mounger has over 25 years’ experience in branded merchandise solutions, sourcing and product development. Mr. Mounger was recently honored as the "Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year" by Counselor, a leading industry trade publication. Mr. Mounger holds a BS in Business and International Business from the University of Washington.

Paul Bellantone joined HALO Branded Solutions in 2021 and has held several senior leadership roles across the organization. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Sales Seller Platform, where he focuses on enabling sales teams with the tools, structure, and support needed to drive growth at scale.

Prior to joining HALO, Paul spent more than two decades at Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), including ten years as President and CEO. His career spans leadership roles in business development, marketing, customer experience, and sales enablement, giving him a deep understanding of the promotional products industry and the evolving needs of sales organizations.

Paul is a graduate of Rutgers University and holds an MBA from Texas Woman’s University. He has been consistently recognized on Counselor’s Power 50 list for his influence and leadership within the industry.

Mr. Fina joined HALO in 2017 with the acquisition and rebranding of Michael C. Fina Recognition as HALO Recognition. Mr. Fina has over 20 years' experience in recognition, reward and incentive solutions. Mr. Fina holds a BA in Management from the University of Florida.

Mr. Fina joined HALO in 2017 with the acquisition and rebranding of Michael C. Fina Recognition as HALO Recognition. Mr. Fina has over 24 years’ experience in recognition services, brand advocacy and promotional products. Mr. Fina holds a BBA in Management from Hofstra University.

Mr. Jakubowski joined HALO in 2018 with over 12 years’ experience representing public and private companies, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. Jakubowski served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at LKQ Corporation and a corporate associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mr. Jakubowski holds a JD from Vanderbilt University and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University.

Mr. McGuire joined HALO in 1999 as Vice President, Marketing and Sales Support. Mr. McGuire has over 30 years of promotional products experience. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. McGuire held executive business development and marketing positions with industry manufacturers. Mr. McGuire holds a BA in Communications from Central College.