CMO Pulse News and Headlines
CMO Pulse News and Headlines
Havas Group ANZ announced a planned leadership transition at its health communications agency Bastion Brands. Founder Simon Davies will step away from the Australian business at the end of June to spend time with family overseas and later support Havas Health projects in Europe, while Executive Director Dan King is elevated to Managing Director of the Melbourne and Sydney offices. Under Havas, Bastion Brands delivered more than 17% revenue growth in 2025 and works with major pharma clients such as Sanofi, GSK and CSL. King plans to deepen AI‑enabled, data‑fluent capabilities and maintain the agency’s “Deliberately Different” positioning.
Fran Luckin has been appointed co‑chief creative officer of independent agency Boundless, joining Roanna Williams. Luckin departs VML South Africa, where she helped rebuild the firm after recent mergers, and brings a reputation for marrying creative excellence with human‑centred storytelling. The...
Estée Lauder has appointed WPP as its first global media partner, launching a new “One ELC” operating model that unifies media, data and commerce across the company. The model consolidates previously fragmented regional structures into a single AI‑enabled ecosystem, aiming to accelerate...
Scotts Miracle‑Gro is reshaping its marketing to treat gardening as a year‑round activity, allocating $25 million to media, digital and R&D. The company reported a 4% drop in U.S. consumer net sales to $328.5 million in Q1 2026, yet beat estimates and expects...
Sapiens International Corp appointed Eva Skidmore as chief marketing officer. Skidmore, a veteran B2B SaaS marketer from JAGGAER, Salesforce, Microsoft, will lead the global marketing team and embed AI into the go‑to‑market strategy. Her mandate is to unify marketing, sales,...
A Place for Mom has appointed Chris Milone as chief marketing officer, tasking him with overhauling the brand’s outreach to the growing millennial caregiver segment. The company, which earns commissions by matching families with senior‑care services, plans to pivot from...
IAG has launched a review of its marketing leadership less than six months after naming Emily Roberts as chief customer and marketing officer. The company plans to merge four senior executive‑manager roles into three, requiring the incumbents to reapply for...
Major League Soccer’s chief marketing officer Radhika Duggal is using the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co‑hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, to amplify the league’s 30‑club stories and fan culture worldwide. The league is rolling out a story‑first strategy...
iHeartMedia has hired former NBCUniversal executive Jamie Cutburth as its Executive Vice President of Marketing. Cutburth leaves NBC after more than 11 years, where he oversaw B2B marketing and brand partnerships for flagship shows like Saturday Night Live and The...
Holly Smith, the new CMO of P.F. Chang’s, is reviving the chain’s nostalgic appeal while modernizing its marketing engine. She began by listening to staff across operations, finance and procurement to break down silos and align the organization. Smith is now...
Geico is launching a three-part docuseries, *Miles that Matter*, featuring women’s basketball stars Azzi Fudd, Napheesa Collier, and men’s player Trey McKenney, to anchor its new focus on women’s sports. The campaign ties athlete stories to family moments in the...
JobSync announced Julie Calli as its new Chief Marketing Officer, bringing over 20 years of recruitment‑marketing expertise. Calli previously scaled marketing at Recruitics, served as CMO of Lensa, and led RecruitmentMarketing.com. In her new role she will shape JobSync’s brand,...
Accent Inns Inc., the parent of Accent Inns, Hotel Zed and ROAR, announced two senior hires: Rachel Johns as Vice‑President of Marketing, Sales and Revenue, and Jeff Hope as Vice‑President of Finance. The new VP, Marketing, Sales and Revenue role consolidates...
Born Social, a UK‑based digital marketing agency, announced the appointment of a new Head of UK Growth. The executive will work closely with Croud’s Chief Growth Officer James Wilde on shared client pitches. This collaboration deepens the strategic tie‑up between...
In the latest Virtual Vanguard session, David Sable dissected the accelerating consolidation of marketing agencies and platforms. He highlighted how the wave of mergers threatens brand creative autonomy and dilutes strategic partnership value. Sable offered concrete steps CMOs can take...
Virgin Australia has appointed former McKinsey and VML executive Scott Moore as head of a new Travel Media Network, signaling the airline’s move into retail media. The initiative will leverage Virgin’s digital properties and Velocity’s 80 commercial partners and 300...
Brent Smart is leaving his role as Telstra’s chief marketing officer after nearly four years, during which he drove a high‑profile creative turnaround and won a Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Film Craft. His "Wherever We Go" platform helped lift...
Havas Media has created a National Head of Strategy role and appointed Molly Blacker to lead its strategy team. Blacker, who spent eight years at Slingshot and five at UM Australia, will work within Havas’ integrated “Village” model to drive...
Marketing heads at ScottsMiracle‑Gro and Clinique are shifting from product‑centric promotion to digital education, using AI‑driven tools to meet consumers where they research online. Scotts’ senior vice president John Sass highlighted the use of agentic AI to deliver hyper‑local gardening...
Aerie reaffirmed its "no AI" policy by launching a new campaign that features only real people, including Pamela Anderson, and explicitly rejects generative‑AI‑created models. The brand’s Instagram post announcing the pledge became its most‑liked content, surpassing 40,000 likes. In Q4...
Jack in the Box appointed Katelyn Zborowski, former Yum Brands executive, as chief marketing officer to boost product innovation and loyalty. Zborowski previously created over 40 limited‑time offerings at Taco Bell and led brand strategy for Pizza Hut. The chain...
Metasports has appointed Manoj Kadarla as head of marketing to drive the global expansion of its flagship cricket strategy game, Hitwicket. Kadarla will oversee user acquisition, brand development, partnerships, and social strategy across Metasports’ portfolio. The hire leverages his eight‑year...
Pinterest has reorganized its monetization team, appointing Vik Gupta as VP and GM of Monetization and Sumanth Jagannath as VP of Measurement. The duo will fuse product, engineering and data‑science functions to tighten ad measurement and attribution, targeting greater spend...
Jack Playfair has been hired by M+C Saatchi as head of partnerships, a newly created role aimed at expanding the agency’s sport and entertainment capabilities. He joins after three years at Bastion, where he managed integrated brand collaborations for clients such...
Belco Forest Products has appointed Brian Bunt as its new director of sales and marketing. Bunt arrives with more than 18 years in the building products sector, most recently serving as vice president of strategic initiatives and marketing at WindsorONE....
State Street Investment Management’s CMO John Brockelman has turned financial‑services marketing into a growth engine by tightly aligning it with sales and business objectives. He simplified the firm’s brand architecture to eliminate confusion as the company entered the retail investor...
Apple has hired former Google executive Lilian Rincon as vice‑president of product marketing for artificial intelligence, reporting to marketing chief Greg Joswiak. Rincon spent nearly a decade overseeing Google’s shopping and assistant products, bringing deep AI‑driven commerce experience to the...
Prologis’ head of social, Natalie Calvo, explains that a people‑first approach—amplifying employee voices—outperforms a brand‑first strategy for niche B2B sectors like industrial real estate. She notes the team posts only three to four times a week, spending most of her time...
Abe’s Audio has hired former ARN chief strategy officer Lauren Joyce on a project basis, branding her role as a “Gun For Hire.” The partnership aims to accelerate new client partnerships and steer the company’s next growth phase through high‑impact...
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Julienne Smith as head of Americas growth, tasking her with expanding the brand portfolio across North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Smith will drive growth for Hyatt’s Luxury, Lifestyle, Classics and Essentials brands while...
Crocs’ chief marketing officer Carly Gomez highlighted the brand’s focus on Gen Z at Shoptalk, showcasing a new micro‑drama series called “Charmed To Meet You” launched on ReelShort. The five‑episode, snackable story has garnered over 10 million views since its February 2026 debut...
The marketing technology sector saw a wave of senior appointments, with Adswerve and Apollo.io each naming new CEOs to steer AI‑driven growth, PubMatic adding a CMO to scale its AI‑powered ad platform, and 33Across hiring a CPO to broaden its...
Ferrero North America announced its largest ever marketing spend, a $100 million “Go All In” campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Easter. The promotion, starring Tom Brady, invites shoppers to scan QR codes on Ferrero products for a...
Pvolve, the low‑impact functional‑movement brand founded in 2017, has built a prolific partnership ecosystem spanning beauty, wellness, apparel, and consumer giants such as Tower28, Lululemon, Amex and Amazon. These collaborations fuel brand awareness, drive foot traffic to its 43 U.S....
WPP has promoted its Japan CEO, Kyoko Matsushita, to lead WPP Creative across the Asia‑Pacific region. The move is part of a leaner regional leadership structure designed to streamline the company’s creative operating model. Matsushita will oversee a portfolio that...
Emotive has appointed former M+C Saatchi Sydney social strategy director Clement Simon as head of social & content. Simon brings award‑winning experience from campaigns for CommBank, Woolworths, Lifeblood and the Minderoo Foundation. His hire reinforces Emotive’s push toward culture‑first, earned‑first output. The agency recently...
Lowe’s has rolled out a Creator Network, partnering with top influencers such as YouTuber MrBeast to reach Generation Alpha before they become homeowners. The program, launched in June 2025, offers creators personalized storefronts on Lowe’s site and commissions on sales,...
Unilever's chief growth and marketing officer Esi Eggleston Bracey unveiled the “Desire at Scale” strategy, aiming to fuse cultural insights, community signals, and commerce through AI‑enabled processes. The approach shifts marketing from pure ad optimization to a growth engine that...
Momentum ME has appointed David Paysant as Chief Growth & Commercial Officer to drive regional scaling and new verticals. Paysant brings a track record of expanding agencies in Hong Kong, leading Publicis digital transformation in the Middle East, and doubling revenue...
Globale Media announced the promotion of Kritika Arora to Senior Director of Brand Strategy & Performance Marketing. In her new role she will lead integrated brand and performance initiatives, driving strategic growth for clients and reinforcing the firm’s full‑funnel marketing...
Beyond Yoga, traditionally known for women’s activewear, is intensifying its focus on the men’s market. Since launching a men’s line in 2020, the brand has added core fabrics like Spacedye and LuxeFleece and introduced a dedicated men’s landing page. It...
Shore Fire Media announced Angela Barkan as its new CEO, tasking her with day‑to‑day operations and a fresh revenue strategy. Allied Global Marketing promoted Adam Cunningham to global CEO and Kelly Estrella to COO, emphasizing integrated growth and AI‑driven tools....
Monument Bank has hired Rachel Kerrone, former head of marketing at Starling Bank, to lead its brand, marketing and communications as it pursues the "mass affluent" segment—about 8 million households holding roughly $11.4 trillion in wealth. Kerrone helped grow Starling from a...
VML India announced two senior leadership hires, naming Kunal Roy as Managing Partner – West & Growth Lead and Shekhar Khanna as Chief Strategy Officer. Roy arrives with over two decades of agency experience, most recently as CEO of Dentsu...
Unilever has engaged global influencer agency SAMY to run its foods division’s influencer strategy, covering brands like Hellmann’s and Knorr across 13 markets. The partnership will leverage SAMY’s proprietary Maia platform, which connects Unilever to more than 120 million creators and...
TikTok staged its inaugural CMO Collective in England, gathering about 65 senior marketers from Europe and Israel to deepen advertiser relationships. The event highlighted the platform’s ease of content creation using a phone and CapCut, while showcasing TikTok Shop integrations...
Nissan Middle East partnered with TBWA\RAAD to launch the inaugural CarJitsu Showdown, turning the cabin of a Nissan Magnite into a live combat arena. The sold‑out event at Dubai's Coca‑Cola Arena attracted over 10,000 spectators and featured professional grappler Vincent...
Meta’s Australia‑New Zealand advertising head Naomi Shepherd announced her departure after a 14‑year stint at the company. She rose from an IC5 client partner in 2012 to group industry director in 2017, overseeing Meta’s ANZ ad sales and marketing. While Meta...
Music management firm The Core Entertainment announced two senior hires, naming Sarah Pfeiffer as Head of Marketing and Gabriella Pulley as Chief of Staff. Both executives will be based in Nashville and report directly to co‑founders Simon Tikhman and Chief...
OpenAI has hired Dave Dugan, a former Meta executive who oversaw the company’s largest client and agency relationships, to lead its global ad solutions. Dugan’s mandate is to evolve ChatGPT’s experimental ad feature into a fully commercialized, revenue‑generating channel. The...
