Top 10: Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers

10. Emmanuel “Manu” Orssaud

Revenue: US$1bn
Employees: 2,790
Company: Duolingo
Founded: 2011

The brains behind Spotify Wrapped, one of Spotify’s most popular features, Manu Orssaud became CMO of Duolingo in 2020 and reinvented the green owl mascot into one of the most recognisable characters on social media.

His creative digital campaigns continuously disprove any views of language learning apps seeming boring, with Manu delivering content to spark conversations and engagement.

Manu’s global marketing strategy includes encouraging the diversification of subjects available on Duolingo by expanding into math, music and even chess.

9. Jonathan Kiman

Revenue: US$2.46bn
Employees: 7,300
Company: Burberry
Founded: 1856

Listed on Forbes’ Entrepreneurial CMO 50 in 2024, Jonathan Kiman was appointed as Burberry’s CMO in 2024.

He was responsible for turning around the plummeting sales that Burberry was encountering and slowly returned the brand to growth.

Helping to turn businesses around is nothing new to Jonathan – who previously served as CMO for Gucci between 2022 and 2024 – known best by companies for his wealth of experience in building digital-savvy marketing organisations.

8. Kipp Bodnar

Revenue: US$3.13bn
Employees: 8,882
Company: HubSpot
Founded: 2006

Kipp Bodnar joined the HubSpot team as its CMO in 2015 and is instrumental in the direction that the company has taken digitally and physically.

Before being appointed CMO, Kipp held several marketing roles at HubSpot, including VP of Marketing and Director of Marketing. 

By focusing on leveraging AI and customer relationships in his sales and marketing strategies, Kipp has scaled HubSpot from a startup to the number one agentic customer platform for growing businesses.

7. Craig Brommers

Revenue: US$5.34bn
Employees: 45,000
Company: American Eagle
Founded: 1977

Craig Brommers has been American Eagle’s CMO since 2020, and he has continuously driven conversations, entertainment and occasionally controversy through the brand.

Previously Gap’s CMO for three years, Craig is responsible for keeping American Eagle highly relevant to younger generations. 

Combining his use of trending figures in campaigns, such as Sydney Sweeney and Ella Langley, with campaign distribution primarily on digital platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, Craig knows how to reach an audience with effective digital marketing.

6. Kenny Mitchell

Revenue: US$6.3bn
Employees: 19,000
Company: Levi Strauss & Co.
Founded: 1853

Joining Levi Strauss & Co in 2023, Kenny has overseen the continuation of more than 170 years of global denim leadership and stronger engagement with younger consumers.

He also led Levi’s return to the Super Bowl after almost two decades through its global “Behind Every Original” campaign.

With experience in senior marketing leadership roles at Gatorade, NASCAR and McDonald’s US, Kenny was most recently CMO of Snap Inc – overseeing the expansion of the Snapchat community and the growth of its advertising and development partners.

5. Marian Lee

Revenue: US$45.18bn
Employees: 17,803
Company: Netflix
Founded: 2007

Marian Lee’s work has continuously recognised her as one of the most influential CMOs across the globe.

Joining as CMO in 2022, Marian has reinvented the Netflix that audiences once knew, repositioning it from a simple streaming service to an interactive experience.

With over 20 years in the marketing industry, including a role as Global Head of Content Marketing at Spotify, Marian’s meticulous planning and outstanding execution with her marketing campaigns have led her to be one of the most respected CMO’s in the world.

4. Nicole Hubbard Graham

Revenue: US$46.3bn
Employees: 77,800
Company: Nike​​​​​​​
Founded: 1964

After spending 17 years in key roles at Nike, Nicole rejoined the company as CMO in 2024, bringing a proven track record of creating world-class campaigns for major global sports moments.

As CMO, Nicole has repositioned Nike, with campaigns encouraging consumers to do their best. 

Key achievements under her leadership include the ‘Not Everyone Can Be a Winner’ campaign and the redesign of Nike’s distinguished ‘Just Do It’ slogan to ‘Why Do It’.

3. Manuel “Manolo” Arroyo

Revenue: US$47.9bn
Employees: 65,900
Company: The Coca-Cola Company​​​​​​​
Founded: 1886

After his previous role as President of the Asia Pacific Group & Bottling Investments Group, Manolo was promoted to Coca-Cola’s Global CMO in 2019.

Manolo’s strategy focuses on integrating AI and tech, after saying it is set to transform the future of the marketing profession.

He has directed 90% of the company’s AI initiatives toward topline growth and encourages his peers to embrace technology, seeing it as a route to driving growth rather than efficiency.

2. Leandro Barreto

Revenue: US$57.1bn
Employees: 96,000
Company: Unilever
Founded: 1930

Leandro has held various roles at Unilever, totalling 17 years of experience, including Global Brand Marketing Director and VP Global Marketing for Skin Cleansing & Baby Care.

His appointment as CMO in January 2026 made him the youngest – and first Latino – CMO in the company’s history.

Leandro is responsible for Unilever’s shift from pure broadcast advertising to an integration of digital and influencer marketing, modernising the company through the use of social media platforms and involving consumers in the creation of their products. 

The “Unfiltered Campaign” is a prominent example of Leandro’s bold strategy, where he assisted in the execution of raw, unfiltered opinions appearing on New York City billboards – no matter how negative or positive – to promote Dove’s new product.

This created traction for the brand and positioned Leandro as a uniquely creative CMO.

1. Elizabeth Rutledge

Revenue: US$72.23bn
Employees: 76,800
Company: AMEX ​​​​​​​
Founded: 1850

Elizabeth Rutledge has worked at American Express for the last 36 years in various roles, including Senior Vice President, Global Network Marketing and Information for six years. 

After serving as Executive Vice President of Global Advertising and Brand Management since 2016, Elizabeth was appointed CMO of American Express in 2018, where she oversees global media, customer insights, and more than 50 major sponsorships.

Elizabeth blends scale with precision, leading American Express to extend its reach to over three billion people.

She has focused on the sports world to bring the value of American Express membership to life, positioning Amex as the brand that gives fans more.

Recently named one of the top 50 most influential CMOs in the world by Forbes, Elizabeth has taken the rise of technology in her stride while keeping her goal the same – “to be relevant, distinctive and consistent over time.”