CMO Moves

Her current position at fintech start-up Happy Money may be Sadira Furlow’s first-ever CMO role (and this her first-ever podcast!) but don’t let the rookie façade fool you. The 2020 Brand Genius honoree has a string of noteworthy career achievements under her belt, including viral Superbowl campaigns like Mountain Dew’s “PuppyMonkeyBaby” and one of her proudest career wins in building from the ground up, PepsiCo’s first premium water brand LifeWTR. She’s also an incredibly humble leader whose path to CMO was far from expected. Today, she’s building the Happy Money brand house as well as the brand voice through digital content that speaks to consumers in the way that they like to talk about money (debt-hacks, anyone?). Tune in to hear Sadira’s faith-fueled career journey, her must-have marketing skills, advice to those starting a new role remotely and what she would be if she wasn’t a CMO, which she could (and should) totally still do even as a CMO!

Hyundai’s CMO Angela Zepeda never anticipated becoming a brand CMO, having spent the majority of her career on the agency side. And while she always saw herself going down the path of a COO role, it was that operational expertise and ability to solve real business problems through creativity that caught the eye of the Hyundai leadership team which led to the offer (on a Wednesday morning she recalls so well). In this episode, the chief marketer dishes on the non-marketing skillsets required of CMOs today and how it's never too late to invest in yourself and your career. She also shares an inside look at the Hyundai’s latest “full-funnel attack” campaign for the new Tuscon release and how she’s working to innovate on the inside to support digital retailing and on the outside with true brand storytelling.

When William White took on the role of chief marketing officer at Walmart, he considered it not only an honor to be working for the No. 1 Fortune 500 company, but also a dream job at a brand that comes with much responsibility. Not to mention, he just so happened to start his first-ever CMO role right at the start of a global pandemic. In this episode, William discusses the power and potential of the brand’s membership program Walmart+, the brand’s partnership with TikTok and how they brought the first shoppable live stream to the U.S. Tune in to hear about his road to becoming the CMO of Walmart, the evolving role of the CMO, how he’s tackling DEI as a leader and of course, what he would be if he wasn’t a CMO.

Minjae Ormes took on the role as CMO of a start-up within a Fortune 15 company for one main reason—and that reason was based on her own criteria. “I was ready for more meaning—ready to take a bigger chance on myself, ready to take on a bigger risk and just go for something where I could really drive impact for the business,” Minjae said. Tune in to hear how her team is leveraging consumer behavior insights to activate campaigns—like the new spot featuring the 12 degrees of Kevin Bacon—and evolving carrier's product offering to better fit what its consumer needs. She also shares the must-have skills she looks for in talent, how she’s feeding her own curiosity and priming for what’s next and critical advice on how to follow your own set of criteria to guide your career. She also takes on my lighting round like a champ!

This episode marks a first for CMO Moves. We turned the tables on host Nadine Dietz as she joins as a guest for the very first time. CMOs Vineet Mehra and Musa Tariq take the hosting reigns to put Nadine in the hot seat to dish on the new adventure she’s taking on, as well as her new roles with Adweek. Nadine takes us back to her upbringing, her early career and some of the most personal and pivotal times in her life that have shaped who she is today. And of course, we wouldn’t let her off the hook without having her answer the famous last question she's asked every CMO...

I first was introduced to Sophie Bambuck last year when a few folks in our community kept mentioning her name as someone we just had to know. As promised, Sophie turned out to be a delightfully humble leader and mentor who views marketing in such a refreshingly simple way. The French-born (listen at :55 seconds in to hear how to say her last name right!), Portland-based leader spent most of her career in brand marketing at Nike, before taking on her first role as CMO for DTC fashion brand Everlane last month. And while Sophie’s path to CMO was not one she anticipated early on, she always knew that she wanted to set a good example for her two daughters and do something to have a positive impact on culture. “I knew that I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to make people feel something.” Tune in to hear how Sophie is thinking about storytelling and approaching sustainability from a marketing lens at Everlane. She also shares how she’s taking on her first 90 days as CMO and what’s it been like to onboard during the pandemic and critical advice she offers for aspiring CMOs centered around picking people over titles and jobs.

While it wasn’t an easy decision for Ukonwa Ojo to make the move from CMO of MAC Cosmetics to CMO of Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios, it was a decision that quickly proved to be the right one for this culture-focused leader. In this episode, we dive into Ukonwa’s background, growing up in Nigeria as the daughter of two entrepreneurs who gifted her with both analytical and creative DNA. She shares unrivaled advice for navigating a non-linear career and how taking pride in the work you put into the world is paramount to your reputation and success. Tune in to hear more about Ukonwa’s journey to CMO, how she blends what she calls “the math and the magic” to drive business success and how to never let die the childlike, human side of marketing.

Today we have what I think may be our first censored episode of #CMOMoves, for good reason! Kory Marchisotto, CMO of E.L.F. BEAUTY, gave Heide Palermo and I tons to think about, too many competing headlines, great advice and loads of laughter. Not to mention a masterclass on strategic elf and F-bombing along the way! Warning. Do not listen to this if you are averse to bold talk, big ideas, bad words. But do listen if you’re into awesome role models, impossible (now conquered) missions, truthful advice, dance parties, curiosity, courage, conviction, and everything in between. It's elf'ing amazing!

We're bringing you the second episode of The Business of Marketing, where we sat down with Mastercard’s Michael Fraccaro, Chief People Officer and Raja Rajamannar, President, Healthcare Business and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. The two discussed how the role of the CMO has been elevated as a direct result of 2020, the critical need to collaborate in and out of crisis mode, and how they drive growth for Mastercard, together. Tune in to hear how they work together to create cross-functional teams, establish clear communications, uphold purpose, build employer brand, develop talent for the future, and present their results to the board. Also don’t miss Raja’s recap on his new book that launched today, Quantum Marketing, and how marketing as we know it will forever change moving into the fifth paradigm. Subscribe to The Business of Marketing here: anchor.fm/business-of-marketing For the latest episodes and upcoming guests, visit: www.adweek.com/the-business-of-marketing

Today marks the launch of a new show, 'The Business of Marketing', that we’re excited to share with our CMO Moves listeners! Created in partnership with our friends at SAP, It’s a show dedicated to hearing the perspectives from everyone across the C-Suite on how they view marketing and the role of the CMO in driving growth for the company. Join us as we explore different perspectives and mine the intersectionality of marketing, technology, operations, finance, human resources and more! In today’s episode, we welcome Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer of Walmart and Debora Koyama, Global Growth Operations Officer of Unilever. Together they share how they are navigating challenging times with optimism, innovation and growth, how the C-Suite unifies to deliver on company, customer, and employee objectives, and how the CMO and Marketing can best power advancement for all. Subscribe to The Business of Marketing here: https://anchor.fm/business-of-marketing For the latest episodes and upcoming guests, visit: www.adweek.com/the-business-of-marketing

It’s not every day you get to interview the CMO of PepsiCo Beverages… and his daughter! When Greg Lyons invited me into his home, via zoom of course, I not only got to spend quality time with Greg talking through career and life defining moments, but I got to meet his lovely daughter, Molly, his two Bernese Mountain Dogs, and a cameo appearance (wave from the window) from his son. Join us as we explore Greg’s career journey, the moves that he made, the mistakes that he learned from, how he’s planning to spend the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years, what his daughter has to say about all her new found dad time, and how he balances home, heart and happiness.

The former Global CMO of Ralph Lauren, Jonathan Bottomley makes a big move to become the CMO of Boll and Branch, an exciting challenger brand grounded in Sustainability. As you all know, Sustainability is the most important topic of 2021, finally, as has been key for many years but this year, brands are stepping up in a big way. And as we heard loud and clear last week in our Sustainability Symposium with the world's top Chief Sustainability, Brand and Marketing Officers, if brands do not step up, consumers will find alternatives. Tune in to hear about Jonathan's amazing journey, what he took away from his time at Ralph Lauren with Ralph himself, (who Jonathan said took a big chance on him as a first time CMO at the time and who, Heide, my co-host, is on a first name basis with now, much to her surprise). Find out how to lead with grace and ambition, how to assemble a world-class team that is "smarter than you" and how to embrace the future of growth.

Tim Mapes, CMCO of Delta Air Lines has evolved his role many times over his 29 years with the company. Most recently, bringing Marketing and Communications together onto one team. As Tim said, it is just as important to think about branding from the inside as it is on the outside. Tune in to hear how Tim and the 75,000 Delta employees in 60 countries look to their own flight plan, using their core values as beacons to pull forward D&I, sustainability and a values-first mindset. Tim also shares how he ascended to the role of CMO and why he (like Lin-Maunel Miranda) thinks he “didn’t dream big enough.”

When I first met Melissa Proctor, CMO of the Atlanta Hawks, I was blown away from the first minute. An inspirational leader who went from Ball Girl to CMO, per the title of her recent book, she has had such an interesting journey driven by her determination and perseverance. Today, on Martin Luther King Day, we share her story of success as well as her big news. For three years she’s been working on an important moment that will take place later today. The Atlanta Hawks will be wearing their new uniforms that proudly say “MLK” on the front of their jersey, not Atlanta, not Hawks,but simply “MLK” in honor of Dr. King. And it isn’t just a uniform. The three-year journey included tremendous research to fully connect and empower the city of Atlanta, working with the community, local organizations and the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. And a commitment to the future to ensure equity and equality are better embraced and understood by all. Melissa and her teams’ work will not only be recognized locally, but already has earned global recognition from none other than the Pope. When the Pope learned of today, he asked that a MLK uniform be shipped to him so he could bless it and send it back in time for today's game. Tune in to hear all of Melissa's amazing moves that got her fully in the game and able to drive such meaningful action.

In a special edition of CMO Moves from the CES C-Suite track, Adweek Chief Community Officer Nadine Dietz sat down with Vineet Mehra, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Customer Officer-Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Lisa McKnight, SVP and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls Portfolio-Mattel, Inc. who not only pivoted their communication strategies during the pandemic, but also shifted the focus of their product offerings to meet the new needs of their consumers.