LEGO Chief Marketing Officer Named European CMO of the Year

Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer of LEGO, has been named the first-ever European CMO of the Year at Cannes Lions. 

With more than 800 Chief Marketing Officers nominated and 28 shortlisted, Julia was selected for her work in helping to transform LEGO into a global cultural brand through key strategic partnerships. 

“It is a huge honour to be named the inaugural European CMO of the Year at Cannes Lions,” Julia says.

“This recognition belongs to my incredible team at the LEGO Group. They consistently push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to deliver remarkable impact together.

“I am deeply humbled and incredibly excited for what lies ahead.”

To be nominated, CMOs need to have been in their role for a minimum of two years and hold responsibility for marketing in at least four countries in Europe. 

Leading creation at LEGO

Julia has been LEGO’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer for more than 11 years, where she holds responsibility for leading the creation of LEGO products – developing the product portfolio while building the brand through content, communication and digital channels.

This spans product development, brand campaigns, marketing, research, licensing, partnerships and overseeing LEGO’s in-house creative agency. 

Before joining LEGO, Julia held the Global Chief Marketing Officer role at Revlon for just over three years and spent 13 years at Coca Cola, where she held several senior global and regional marketing roles – such as Division Marketing Director of Northwest Europe, and Deputy Chief Marketing Officer of Japan. 

Building up partnerships

During her time as CMO at LEGO, Julia has built up several key partnerships – including a recent collaboration to promote LEGO’s FIFA World Cup product line. 

The company featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Vini Jr in a recent advertisement with the four players building LEGO’s FIFA World Cup Trophy set. 

This has been done to promote its Football Highlights set, which are built on letter-shaped bases, with colour cues for each player’s national team, numbers and a collectable plaque, plus a LEGO minifigure of one of the four players.

“With these new sets we’re bringing the thrill of football to life in a way that allows fans to build, create and celebrate,” Julia says.

“We wanted to capture the essence of some of today’s greatest football players, and honour what makes them special, sparking imagination and excitement in kids and families worldwide. 

“We know everyone wants a piece of the celebration and we can't wait for fans to experience the joy of building their favourite football icon and share their passion for the game with creativity and pride.”

The company is using the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a major marketing moment.

It has introduced pop-up fan zone experiences have been launched to encourage play through activities such as a LEGO Wall of Fame, where participants can design their own LEGO jerseys and LEGO Brick Kickers, which is a multiplayer game where children can kick footballs at a giant digital LEGO wall to smash bricks and score points. 

This, the company says, has all been designed to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a source of play and creativity.