Kevin Warren Departs as UPS Restructures Commercial and Marketing Functions

UPS marketing chief Kevin Warren is leaving the company after nearly six years, with a legacy of building a culture of diversity and inclusion while supporting a turnaround of the courier. Warren, who joined from Xerox in 2018 after three decades with the printing services business, was responsible for all U.S. and international marketing at UPS. That included product development, pricing, customer loyalty and communications, among other functions. During his time at UPS, he saw the number of medium-sized business clients grow from 22% in the U.S. to 30% while improving its time in transit and customer experience and building its Digital Access Program. He has also helped the company to shed its outdated image and drive its 2022 revenue to $100.3 billion, a 40% increase. In recent years the marketing team launched The UPS Store, a retail network with some 5,000 locations across America and introduced the brand’s purpose statement—"Moving our world forward by delivering what matters"—as positioning the company as connecting the world. Working with The Martin Agency, the courier also launched the “Be Unstoppable” campaign. “‘The Unstoppable’ campaign is, if you do business with UPS, we’re going to help you be unstoppable, which really ties into that entrepreneurial spirit, that underdog spirit, that David taking on Goliath,” Warren explained to Adweek. Danny Robinson, the chief creative officer of The Martin Agency, said Warren "consistently led both his internal team and our agency teams to greatness by providing the vision that turned a 116-year-old brand with a strong heritage but little cultural cache into a relevant, purpose-driven, dare I say hip brand." During Warren's tenure, The Martin Agency connected artists and fashion designers from various underrepresented groups to redesign everything from the uniforms for New York Fashion Week to the trucks and packages. "Kevin’s belief in the power of creativity to change the course of a brand’s business and his ability to lead without holding on too tightly was the difference between us doing everything in our power to deliver the best work and us finding ways to do more that we even thought possible," Robinson told Adweek. A 2023 Adweek Brand Genius honoree, Warren is one of the marketing sector’s most outspoken advocates for driving diversity, equity and inclusion. Under his watch, UPS has a pledged $1.25 million investment to be made over three years in the UPS Ignite program, a partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs to elevate underrepresented founders and businesses across the U.S. “You can take care of your customer, you can take care of your shareholders, you can take care of your community. It’s not like you must trade off one versus the other. We say doing good and moving goods go hand-in-hand,” advised Warren while speaking at Brandweek. The new structure for marketing Starting next month, the UPS marketing team will report to Matt Guffey, as he takes on the new position of chief commercial and strategy officer. Guffey, who was previously the president of U.S. marketing and global strategy for UPS, will also join the company’s executive leadership team, reporting to CEO Carol B. Tomé. More Than Marketing: UPS and Autodesk Made Diversity a Business Imperative The role will see him take responsibility for global strategy and transformation, including overseeing revenue, marketing and product management. Writing on LinkedIn to announce his departure, Warren said to the marketing team: “Keep driving, keep being the voice for our customers, keep evolving our brand and keep being an adversary to the status quo. And above all else… keep being UNSTOPPABLE!” He did not reveal his next step, adding: “I’m taking the advice I would give my 20-year-old self—be bold, bet on yourself, think BIG and open yourself to the wonderful opportunities, challenges and fulfillment that await you. Here’s to the next chapter!”