24 Leading Marketers Innovating in Fresh Ways for a Dynamic Consumer

Baeza’s diverse experiences in the marketing world showcase his Swiss Army knife-style ingenuity and grit. From working with world-renowned brands such as Nike, Paramount, Activision and Adidas to startups including Kajabi and, most currently, Flock Freight, Baeza’s mission as a leader has long been about recognizing top-tier talent and building culturally relevant organizations from inception. He joined Flock Freight as the company’s first CMO in May 2022, and just three months into the role, he gave the company a new visual brand identity—from a website overhaul to a fresh content strategy. “The rebrand revolved around a visual abstraction of our core product offering: shared truckload [where multiple shippers share truck space]. We carefully infused this DNA into our wordmark and mnemonic to create a powerful and recognizable brand identity,” Baeza told Adweek. He also spearheaded the debut of the “Define Your Load” campaign, designed to drive awareness of Flock Freight’s offerings.

Rising Star: Baeza’s Rising Stars are (l. to r.) Jennifer Shah, vice president of corporate communications; Andrew Teague, vice president of brand marketing and creative; and Todd Silverstein, senior vice president of growth at Flock Freight. “Jennifer is responsible for standing up both our internal and external communications functions from the ground up,” said Baeza, which he said has led to significant growth in the company’s thought leadership presence and PR/media impressions. Baeza also notes that Silverstein has achieved record-high lead generation and acquisition during his tenure. Teague, meanwhile, conceptualized Flock Freight’s rebrand last year and was an integral part of the “Define Your Load” campaign. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

After eight years as Ally Financial CMO, Brimmer attributes teamwork as the key to her success, saying, “I recognize that just because I’m the CMO, I don’t completely own the brand—it’s a shared asset that is only richer when we work together to make it better.” Working as a mentor within and outside of her role, Brimmer’s dedication to sharing knowledge is matched by a willingness to learn. [Read more from Brimmer here in our cover story.]

Rising Star: Brimmer’s Rising Star is Beth Woodruff, senior director of branding strategy, integrations, gaming and innovation at Ally Financial. Brimmer praises Woodruff’s work on Fintropolis, a Minecraft world that teaches financial literacy. “In this atmosphere of seismic change in our industry, she’s proven that she’s not afraid to learn new things way outside of her area of expertise,” said Brimmer. —Sara Century

After nearly 27 years of experience both in-house and agency-side, Carter has now spent three years in her role as the first CMO of Goldman Sachs. Despite a history of providing results for brands like AT&T and agencies including BBDO and Omnicom, the new position had both supporters and skeptics in the early days, making it crucial that Carter listen and learn while providing results in real time. “It’s essential to know enough to be fluent across every aspect of the business, so you can speak your peers’ language, avoid vanity marketing metrics and deliver genuine value,” said Carter.

Rising Star: Carter’s Rising Star is Olivia Douglas, global head of wealth marketing for asset and wealth management at Goldman Sachs, whom she refers to as a “trailblazer.” Carter commends Douglas’ ability to command respect in an industry that is just learning the value of brand marketing. “She has inspired confidence so successfully that marketing is now considered a revenue generator for the private wealth [sector],” said Carter. —Sara Century

Over the past two decades, Crocs has had a wild trajectory from fad to has-been to footwear mainstay. Indeed, Cooley muses that when she joined the brand’s marketing team in 2016, it horrified some of her peers. Seven years later, Crocs’ stock price is up more than 1,000%, and revenue in the just-completed second quarter was up 11% following a 34% lift in Q1. With stops at Abercrombie & Fitch and Sports Authority, Cooley knows the ups and downs of retail and how effective marketing can change the game. As a fan of the underdog and someone who, like the brand itself, is more than willing to embrace the weird, Cooley has played a major role in reinvigorating the shoe’s popularity through innovative marketing, AR experiences and knowing the customer.

Rising Star: Cooley’s Rising Star is Melissa Layton, senior director of global communications, who leads all global external communications across Crocs. Cooley credits her four years in the role as being key to the brand’s success. “If you’re someone who never thought you’d wear Crocs until you read one of the many captivating headlines over the past four years, Melissa and her incredibly talented team have been the driving force behind what changed your mind,” said Cooley. —Sara Century

Cooper’s dynamic marketing approach and extensive experience working with global technology, entertainment, consumer goods and financial services brands catalyzed Visa’s decision to enlist him as its CMO in 2022. Cooper joined Visa after five years as senior managing director and global CMO at asset manager BlackRock. Before BlackRock, Cooper operated as BuzzFeed’s chief marketing and creative officer and as CMO of global consumer engagement for PepsiCo’s Global Beverage Group. Leveraging his multifaceted background, Cooper spearheads Visa’s evolution by injecting culture into purpose-driven marketing initiatives to achieve the company’s business goals.

Rising Star: “While I am early in my tenure at Visa, one thing is clear—we have a tremendous team, and I am surrounded by Rising Stars. I can’t nominate one Rising Star, as I’m enjoying the opportunity to get to know this team as we work together to build meaningful programs,” said Cooper. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

For Cress, her role at H&R Block means acknowledging the job isn’t just about taxes; it’s about helping Americans find empowerment through greater financial literacy. Cress has worked to balance social responsibility, customer service and company growth in her first year at the Kansas City-based tax preparer. She brings more than 30 years of industry experience, with stops at PayPal, National Geographic and Mastercard. But for Cress, the H&R Block brand is different: “It is highly trusted, it has high levels of awareness—but it was suffering a bit from a crisis of relevance. Who are the audiences that we want to win with, and what does that mean?” [Read more from Cress here in our cover story.]

Rising Star: Cress’ Rising Star is Mike Halvorsen, vice president of customer experience at H&R Block. Praising Halvorsen’s ability to develop customized customer journeys, Cress noted that his emphasis working with gig economy workers has been invaluable for the brand. “Mike has been instrumental in helping to accelerate H&R Block’s client experience and the company’s long-term growth and transformation strategy,” said Cress. —Sara Century

Delhoume-Debreu oversees LVMH’s portfolio of luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Fendi, TAG Heuer and Moët Hennessy. Delhoume-Debreu’s 30 years at Procter & Gamble have led to a seamless transition to her six-plus years at LVMH. In a climate of economic uncertainty, LVMH reported a massive 21 billion euros in revenue in its June quarterly report. That was up 15% year over year. LVMH Group spent around 9.5 billion euros in advertising and promotion costs worldwide in 2022, up from 7.2 billion in 2021, according to Statista. This ensures that Delhoume-Debreu and her team will have the budget necessary to continue marketing LVMH’s luxury brands around the world.

Rising Star: Delhoume-Debreu’s Rising Star is Emelie De Vitis, senior vice president of product and marketing for LVMH luggage brand Rimowa. De Vitis has been with LVMH for 20 years at brands including Guerlain, Moët Hennessy and TAG Heuer. She joined Rimowa in 2020 as CMO. De Vitis manages the full funnel of Rimowa marketing, including campaigns, media, PR, internal communication and collaborations for the global brand. —Sara Century

Acclaimed mental health app Headspace wasn’t always in the award-winning “space” it is now—and neither was its president, Christine Hsu Evans, who came from a fashion background. For the last 20 years, Hsu Evans has combined her experience as a fashion designer and product developer with her current career in health care. “For marketers in health care, their challenge is often to compel people to ‘want what they need,’” Hsu Evans said. “And my experience in the fashion industry has been incredibly beneficial in understanding what gets people to make emotion-fueled decisions.” [Read more from Hsu Evans here in our cover story.]

Rising Star: Hsu Evans’ Rising Star is Connie Chan Wang, senior vice president of marketing at Headspace. “Over the last 13 years, Connie has built a career building b-to-b/b-to-c brands, leading integrated and brand marketing practices at LinkedIn and now Headspace. She is a master collaborator and problem-solver. She has an innate ability to attract and retain top-tier marketing talent,” Hsu Evans said. With Hsu Evans’ move into the president role, Chan Wang was promoted to svp of marketing and now oversees all marketing functions across the brand’s consumer and enterprise channels. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Forbus has proven she’s more than a dynamic leader in marketing cutting-edge creative content; she’s also a force driving business growth. Since joining Pernod Ricard USA in July 2020, global sales of brands including Absolut, Jameson, Malibu and Kahlúa jumped from 8.4 billion euros in 2020 to 10.7 billion in 2022. The company designates 16% of net sales for advertising and promotional spend, allowing Forbus and her team to allocate dollars for both creative and media endeavors. For example, the company doubled its U.S. media spend in 2020 versus 2019 with 3 of every 4 marketing dollars going to digital. Prior to Pernod Ricard, Forbus held leadership roles at Walt Disney Studios and spent nearly 20 years at PepsiCo and Frito-Lay as a data and insights-led marketer.

Rising Star: Forbus’ Rising Star is Kristen Colonna, vice president of marketing accelerator and brand strategy at Pernod Ricard USA. Colonna oversees the Marketing Accelerator, where she leads a team building innovative capabilities and defines best practices across omnimedia, ecommerce, consumer data and marketing technology. Before Pernod Ricard, Colonna spent 18 years at OMD, lastly as CSO, leading strategy for brands including PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Paris native Francois has been working in the automotive industry for decades, most of that time following mergers and acquisitions with the company now known as Stellantis. He wears two hats at the company: CEO of Fiat, which is the 18th best-selling global brand, and CMO of Stellantis, where he is allowed to star in over-the-top creative stunts like this. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) brands have been a mainstay in the world’s biggest one-day marketing event: the Super Bowl. His career has been defined by a yearning to continually push marketing to new heights. Citing a desire to create “an artful marriage between the left and right brain,” Francois’ interest in media and creativity has always seemed to go naturally hand in hand with a love for the automotive industry.

Rising Star: Francois’ Rising Star is Nicole Pesale, head of Jeep brand advertising, North America. With more than 20 years of experience, Pesale is known as a “firefighter,” someone capable of solving problems on the fly. With her work on a 2023 Super Bowl ad for Jeep’s hybrid electric vehicles, Pesale is a name we’ll likely be hearing a lot more of in the future. —Sara Century

With more than 30 years of industry experience building award-winning teams, Gieselman was prepared to navigate the complexity of Expedia Group’s many acquisitions. Noting that each brand under the Expedia banner brought its own identity, products and experiences, he recognized a need to create a unified strategy where a combined team could make decisions across brands. “Our house of brands has evolved not only because of the advancements in the operating system that powers them, but also because of the investments we’ve made in building a world-class marketing organization,” Gieselman explained. [Read more from Gieselman here in our cover story.]

Rising Star: Gieselman’s Rising Star is Liseli Sitali, director of football and music partnerships at Expedia Group. Using her experience leading marketing for Sky Sports prior to her role at Expedia, Sitali is well aware of the emotional connections that music and sports partnerships can bring. “Liseli has taken an entirely new and innovative approach to looking at our partnerships and has supercharged the group in the short space of time since she arrived,” said Gieselman. —Sara Century

Graham’s early career promoting Miami’s nightlife and founding his own digital agency, City Never Sleeps, provided invaluable experience that continues to elevate his work as a marketing leader today. In fact, City Never Sleeps’ consistent delivery of memorable and authentic content gained the agency significant traction within the competitive digital space. That growth caught the attention of Combs Global, a portfolio of media, television, spirits, fashion and ecommerce brands led by Sean Combs. Graham has been the chief brand officer for more than two years. As a champion of innovation and integrated marketing strategies, Graham’s mission is to create culturally impactful campaigns to position the Combs Global portfolio in the broader business community. “My understanding of cultural trends, audience engagement and digital platforms prove instrumental in my strategic decision-making and marketing initiatives at Combs Global,” he said.

Rising Star: Graham’s Rising Star is Carlos Del Valle, senior social media manager for Sean Combs. Del Valle got his start working for Combs as an intern at the mogul’s Blue Flame Agency. He climbed the ranks as a digital marketing coordinator to now serving as Combs’ direct senior social media manager, executing Combs’ digital strategy, content development, digital public relations initiatives and more. “As long as you’re pushing forward, whether it’s in the smallest way or in a big way, the key is just to keep moving forward and stay relentless,” Del Valle said. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

With nearly three decades of experience in luxury goods and CPG, Hughes’ incalculable prowess has aided in the success of Kellogg’s marketing efforts. Hughes joined the Kellogg Company in September 2020 from Pandora Americas, where she drove the brand’s strategic expansion into 17 markets in Latin America and reconceptualized jewelry retail through omnichannel strategies. At Kellogg’s, her mission is simple: Create a “future-ready” Kellogg with its iconic global brands that have been a part of breakfast for more than 100 years. As she told Adweek earlier this year, getting there will mean “engaging more in culture, cultural understanding and data to put our brands at the center of conversation.” A graduate of Howard University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Hughes cut her teeth in marketing with roles at Sara Lee, Avon and Estée Lauder.

Rising Star: Hughes’ Rising Star is Nicole Vinson, vice president of global digital, media and omnishopper experience at Kellogg Company. “With her strategic vision and relentless drive for excellence, Nicole has transformed our marketing strategies, significantly impacting our organization’s growth and success,” Hughes said. “Nicole’s adeptness in pivoting our marketing strategy to a full-funnel approach has been instrumental in overcoming challenges and driving tangible results.” —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Jones is no stranger to a consumer-centric approach to marketing. “When you design a product with the customer’s needs first, the marketing brief flows out of those same insights, and the resulting campaign is more authentic and compelling,” explained Jones, who has been with the brand since 2021, after spending six years in marketing roles at Uber. Noting that Instacart had a history of transactional success, Jones’ focus turned to creating meaningful, long-term connections with consumers, leading a brand identity refresh, launching Instacart’s first celebrity brand campaign and developing a full-funnel, in-house media team. “This year has been about finding platforms that can really work across the funnel, and then a lot of experimentation,” Jones told Adweek in June.

Rising Star: Jones’ Rising Star is Rachel Williams, senior brand campaigns manager at Instacart. Jones credits Williams for helping in the ongoing journey to keep Instacart relevant amid a sea of competitors. “Rachel’s focus is keeping Instacart at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. She’ll be managing Instacart’s internal teams and brand agencies, from boutique shops to the industry’s largest advertising agencies, to achieve this goal,” Jones explained. —Sara Century

Whether its getting a sneak peak into Flo’s love life or learning about Barbie’s Dreamhouse coverage, insurance marketing can be fun. Few do it better than Progressive and the marketing team led by Kent. And it turns out Flo and friends and Dr. Rick sell a lot of policies: $15.35 billion’s worth in Progressive’s most recent quarter, which was up 33% year over year. In addition to marketing strategy, Kent also leads Ninety6, the company’s in-house advertising agency. Before joining Progressive, Kent served as the global CMO of 3M Consumer Business Group, leading growth for the company’s best-known brands, Post-It and Scotch Brand Tape. Rethinking old narratives is Kent’s stock and trade, making her invaluable as a team-builder and CMO.

Rising Star: Kent’s Rising Star is Casey Ocasio, manager of creative direction at Progressive. Ocasio has been with the company for a little more than four years after several years as creative director at marketing agency Flourish. Ocasio said she “plays in the sweet spot where heart meets smarts,” emphasizing the problem-solving capacity of creatives as a source of inspiration. —Sara Century

With prior experience across a wide array of marketing sectors including CPG, beauty, consumer electronics and biotech, Lee has brought major changes in her three-plus years at Samsung Electronics America. Priding herself on her versatility and understanding of the many pieces at play when it comes to successful marketing, Lee balances leadership with innovation. She cites the choice to use in-house creative services as being an effective money-saving approach that also allows the brand to have a more hands-on approach. Noting that she oversees an organization of 80-plus people with unique skills, her work leading mini-workshops and participating as a speaker is vital to keeping communication open.

Rising Star: Lee’s Rising Star is Joo-Mee Song, executive senior director of creative services at Samsung, saying that she has been instrumental to the brand’s in-house creative. “In the past three years, she led the team to win 20 awards including Clio Awards, Shorty Awards, London International Awards, Effie Awards and Promax Awards,” said Lee. —Sara Century

With 27 years of industry experience, 22 of them at Deloitte, Mager is now leading the team that is telling the Deloitte story to existing and prospective clients. Recently elevated to CMO, Mager understands his key role as a leader: “As Deloitte’s CMO, I advocate for my marketing and communications team every day, ensuring they have the necessary resources to excel, emphasize the value they bring to our organization, and foster an environment that promotes professional growth and authenticity.” Likewise, keeping an eye on the long game is a major skill, as he engages with industry organizations like Creative Ladder and OneTen, showing an intentionality in cultivating the up-and-coming creative workforce.

Rising Star: Mager’s Rising Star is Alyssa Bennett, cross-consulting senior specialist at Deloitte. He noted that Bennett was selected as one of 30 global participants to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Brand Marketers Academy in 2023. He expects she “will be a major changemaker in our industry.” —Sara Century

History was made many times over for one summer blockbuster. Barbie is the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, highest-grossing Warner Bros. movie ever and the highest-grossing film of 2023. But the script on the Mattel doll’s revitalization was written years earlier. McKnight has been instrumental to this, with Barbie seeing new life as a strong female role model. “I’ve stayed at Mattel for over 20 years because there’s always been a new challenge, and getting close to the filmmaking process has been fascinating,” McKnight told Adweek before the film’s release. “As a marketer, I knew my lane—we were there to provide brand notes, not storytelling notes.” At the time of that interview, McKnight had seen the movie six times. She’s now gearing up for Barbie’s next big act: the 65th birthday celebrations next year. [Read more from McKnight here in our cover story.]

Rising Star: McKnight’s Rising Star is Nathan Baynard, vice president of global brand marketing for Barbie and dolls portfolio. Having worked at Mattel in various roles since 2011, Baynard brings a history in film and theater management to the Barbie team, showing deep and genuine enthusiasm for the brand. —Sara Century

Patrick’s disruptive and innovative marketing approach has led to her successful 25-plus year tenure in the industry. Patrick joined jewelry and accessories retailer Claire’s as evp and CMO in 2021. Her career in marketing has included stops in retail, media and CPG. At Claire’s, Patrick’s marketing strategy revolves around “Gen Zalpha,” the endearing term the brand created for its most essential demos. “Gen Zalpha is such a creative and powerful force that wants to take part in brands and have a larger say,” Patrick told Adweek. “In giving them space for self-expression, I want to help ensure that Claire’s can be a brand uniquely created by them, for them.”At Claire’s—once a mall staple that has since emerged from its 2018 bankruptcy—Patrick is now tasked with reaching Gen Zalpha online and off, or wherever they may be.

Rising Star: Patrick’s Rising Star is Chris Duncan, vice president of digital marketing and consumer insights at Claire’s. “Chris is the glue that holds key initiatives together. He uses insights-driven information and analytics to inform all marketing programs and expenditures,” Patrick said. Duncan describes himself as a growth creator, change agent, problem-solver and servant leader. Duncan is credited with supporting the full-funnel approach of content, experiences and programs with an omnichannel presence. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Peterson’s journey from the “left brain” world of engineering to brand management for nearly 18 years with General Mills gave her the tools she’d need to succeed. Since August 2022, Peterson has been CMO of billion-dollar lifestyle brand Kendra Scott. Her passion for connecting to the psychology of people and consumer behavior has helped further the success of Kendra Scott’s 360-degree marketing strategy. Peterson leads the BrandX team, which includes customer care, PR, ecommerce, visual experiences and more. “I determine the value of marketing with a similar right brain-left brain balance. Everything we do has to result in driving traffic—to our retail stores, to our wholesale locations [and] to our website,” Peterson said. “But because Kendra Scott is built on a purpose-driven mission, we are equally focused on ensuring our marketing is devoted to our core principles of family, fashion and philanthropy.”

Rising Star: Peterson’s “Rising Constellation” is (clockwise, from top): Cheryl Mills Knight, senior vice president of brand and culture; Betsy Kiernan, director of marketing operations; Denise Chumlea, senior vice president of creative; and Amy Hannah, vice president of brand marketing at Kendra Scott. “This is my favorite leadership team, my family, my stars, my leaders, my friends—who keep our customer as our boss, bring joy and optimism to every moment and support each other to be a bit better each day.” —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Serving as the chief marketer of a 240-year-old brand can be daunting. But it’s all business for Taparia, who has been CMO of Chicago-based real estate services company JLL since 2021. “I believe marketing leaders have to be business leaders first,” he told Adweek. Like its real estate peers, JLL has been hit hard by the pandemic and the slow return to the office. The publicly traded company, founded in London in 1783 (a more modern iteration came to be in 1999), missed EPS estimates for the last four quarters. For Taparia, that means an opportunity to tell the JLL story, which he’s done with the “See a Brighter Way” global rebrand last year. Celebrating wins, offering mentorship and building a future through the team’s feedback is key. “Fostering a people-first culture where my team feels inspired is critical to the organization’s success and retaining world-class marketing talent,” he explained.

Rising Star: Taparia’s Rising Star is Kris MacAuslan, global head of HR and DEI communications. Explaining that her role bridges marketing and HR, he praises MacAuslan for her creative thinking and ability to rise to any challenge. “She takes an innovative approach to communications efforts while employing best practices to drive success,” he said. —Sara Century

Wen’s far-reaching success in digital marketing began long before she took on the role of chief digital and marketing officer of L’Oréal USA in May 2022. Before this position, Wen was CDMO for L’Oréal USA’s Professional Products Division (PPD), leading the digital transformation of its PPD business since 2017. While in that role, she connected a digital and data-driven marketing approach to allow brands to reach consumers across platforms at every moment of the customer lifecycle. During that period, the division was marked by a fivefold increase in its ecommerce business. Currently, Wen is tasked with leading L’Oréal USA’s digital transformation companywide, in partnership with its divisions and 36 brands.

Rising Star: Wen’s Rising Star is Tasheka Nicholas (l.), assistant vice president of finance at L’Oréal USA. Nicholas, who made the transition from investment banking to the beauty industry in 2015, has a knack for combining financial acumen with creative strategies to drive business results. “Her strategic thinking, pioneering problem-solving skills and financial insights are instrumental in driving transformative change,” said Wen. —Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

Taking on her role at Upwork in 2022, Waters has brought an emphasis on maintaining empathy for customers, many of whom are independent contractors looking for their next gig. By stepping into their shoes, Waters is able to better understand what is needed as CMO. “The stories from our freelancers are so inspiring,” Waters told Adweek in June. “A huge part of the way that we work is through a community-based focus. Our product organization runs a significantly sized community group that gets folks together across the world.” Born during Web 1.0 in the late 1990s, Upwork has survived and thrived, going public in 2018. “I very much believe in the in-bound, out-bound duality of marketing—influencing what gets created and then making sure that it’s taken to market and will resonate,” said Waters.

Rising Star: Waters’ Rising Star is Amanda Leach-Rouvi, vice president of brand and product marketing at Upwork. For nearly four years, Leach-Rouvi has centered her efforts on creating innovative marketing strategies to help reshape the future of the world’s workforce, gaining multiple award nominations through campaign efforts like “This Is How We Work Now.” —Sara Century

Working as Hyundai’s CMO since 2019, Zepeda has transformed the brand by establishing deeper, less transactional relationships with customers. “When we connect on an emotional level with consumers,” Zepeda said during a Brandweek session in September 2022, “that’s when we see spikes in brand opinion—when we don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk.” But, at the end of the day, Zepeda wants to sell cars. And her marketing team has helped the brand do just that, selling 69,351 units in June, a 10% increase compared with June 2022. The strategy of “figuring out how to be in the Super Bowl without being in the Super Bowl” worked for Hyundai in 2022. A spot featuring actor Jason Bateman for the Ioniq 5 aired around the game, not during it. “We were No. 1 on the YouTube blitz, and the ad was shared across social media. We realized what a massive halo this was for the brand,” she said.

Rising Star: Zepeda’s Rising Star is Agnes Yeh, senior manager of interactive retail marketing at Hyundai Motor America. Having been with the company since 2008 in various positions, Yeh oversees coordination with 840-plus dealers nationwide. “Agnes is hardworking, smart and solutions-oriented,” said Zepeda. —Sara Century