The CMO Whisperer

Today I'm joined by Ron Cohen, SVP of Practice Leadership at Claritas, a company operating at the intersection of data, identity and AI, helping brands understand who their customers really are and how to reach them with more precision, relevance, and results. Ron spends his time focused on one of the biggest challenges in modern marketing, turning scattered signals into smart action. In a world full of noise, he works on helping brands make better decisions about audiences, personalization, targeting, and growth.

My guest today is Heather McLeod, Chief Marketing Officer at BNI, someone who turns big global strategy into marketing that actually works. She's built her reputation on cutting through noise and focusing on what actually drives growth, scaling a community of more than 345,000 members across 70+ countries without losing what makes it human.

At a time when everything is digital, automated, and AI-driven, she's right at the center of something just as powerful. Real in-person connection. Relationship marketing, community, and the idea that business still gets done between people, not platforms. No fluff, just what works.

On today's episode, I welcome not one, not two, not even three, but four guests and not just any four. Four builders, four creators, four operators who are shaping culture, storytelling and business in very real ways. Jimmy Smith is the founder of Mind Matters and Amusement Park Entertainment, and one of those rare creatives who has operated at the intersection of culture, technology, and storytelling for decades. From Cannes Lions to the Smithsonian, from Guinness World Records to reviving iconic brands and platforms, Jimmy's work doesn't just show up; it leaves a mark. And through it all, there's...

My guest today is Sameer Gulati, Chief Product Officer and President of Zen Business and someone who spent more than two decades at the intersection of technology, financial services and real-world business building. Sameer isn't just thinking about products. He's thinking about outcomes. At Zen Business, he's helping re-imagine what it actually means to start and run a business today by bringing together AI embedded finance and automation into a platform designed to give small business owners a real shot at success. He's built his career across B2B, FinTech and business development, consistently focused on one thing: how...

Today's episode comes live to you from POSSIBLE, where the ideas move fast, the conversations matter, and the coffee has no chance of surviving. I'm joined by Heather Roestamadji - Director of Growth Strategy at Claritas. Heather sits at the intersection of audience intelligence, AI-driven optimization, and multi-channel measurement, helping brands turn complexity into clarity and data into real business growth. 

Now with nearly two decades of experience, she knows how to cut through the noise, connect strategy to performance, and answer the question every marketer eventually faces: What's actually working?

My guest today is Warren Kornblum. Warren works with brands that want more than attention. They want to matter. From founding one of Canada's fastest-growing agencies to serving as global CMO of Toys R Us, he's been in the rooms where growth, reinvention, and tough decisions actually happen.

And what he's seen is simple. Brains don't fall apart because of strategy. They fall apart when they stop mattering to their people and to their customers. He's also the author of Notes from the Brand Stand, where he introduces share of heart, the emotional connection that drives real...

My guest today is Nataly Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Zappi, where she's helping some of the world's biggest brands rethink how they understand consumers and make faster, smarter, data-driven decisions. Nataly is one of those rare marketing leaders who blends operator muscle with true global perspective. Before Zappi, she spent nearly a decade at HubSpot, where she played a key role in the company's international growth, leading marketing, localization and expansion into new markets. 

She's also the co-author with Katherine Melchior Ray, another guest on the pod, of Brand Global Adapt Local: How to Build Brand V...

My guest today is Jonathan Hamm, a former number one-ranked amateur boxer in the United States and 2011 US national champion. Jonathan was one of the top super heavyweight fighters of his era and an Olympic team alternate heading into the 2012 London games. Before that, he was a standout college football player who earned a shot with the New Orleans Saints and later transitioned into mixed martial arts, training alongside such legends as Jon Jones. 

But what makes Jonathan different isn't just his path. It's how he thinks about it. Because beyond the physicality, beyond the competition, Jonathan h...

My guest today is Kris Lande. Kris is the Chief Marketing Officer at OutSystems, an AI-powered development platform where she leads global marketing, brand and growth. She's built her career at the intersection of product, marketing and community with the rare ability to take complex, highly technical ideas and turn them into stories that actually resonate not just with developers, but with business leaders driving real outcomes. 

Before OutSystems, she spent more than 13 years at Salesforce, holding leadership roles across product marketing, community, and Trailhead, the learning platform that became a cornerstone of Salesforce's ecosystem. She helped b...

My guest today is Katherine Melchior Ray, one of the world's leading voices in global marketing. Her career includes senior leadership roles at some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Hyatt. Today, Katherine is the president of Globe Ally Consulting and also teaches global marketing at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Fluent in French and Japanese, she has built a reputation for helping brands navigate the delicate balance between global scale and local cultural relevance. 

She's also the co-author of the book Brand Global, Adapt Local, written with N...

My guest today is Christopher Wallace. Christopher spends his days helping companies close one of the biggest gaps in business, the space between what gets set in the boardroom and what actually happens in front of the customer. He's the president of InnerView, where he works closely with sales organizations to make sure their go-to-market strategies don't just live in slide decks, but actually show up in the moments that matter most - when customers are making buying decisions. 

Under his leadership, InnerView has helped companies drive meaningful improvements in revenue performance and customer satisfaction across millions o...

My guest today is Scott Davis, Chief Growth Officer at Prophet. Scott is one of the architects behind Prophet's evolution from a 35-person brand shop into a global growth consultancy with 500+ people across 16 offices, partnering with CEOs and CMOs who are serious about turning brands into a real growth engine. He leads Prophet's global go-to market, the CMO practice, and corporate marketing, sitting squarely at the intersection of strategy, execution, and results. Over his career, Scott has worked with some of the most iconic brands on the planet. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Pfizer, IBM, the NBA, J&J, and Hershey's...

My guest today is Maxime Guirauton, Vice President and Global Head of Marketing and Sales Development at Visa, where he's helping power the engine behind Visa Direct and driving demand across markets, regions and time zones. Before Visa, Maxime was the CMO at Currencycloud, the cross-border payments platform that Visa acquired. And earlier in his career, he led major brand and growth work at Samsung Electronics and JLL. 

He's lived inside global enterprises, high-growth tech and complex B2B ecosystems, and he knows what it takes to build brands that actually move revenue. He's also the cohost o...

My guest this week is Jon Francis, the newly appointed Chief Data & Analytics Officer, and Head of Digital at State Farm Insurance. John's career reads like a master class in how data, digital and experience converge to drive transformation. At State Farm, he's going to be focused on building smarter, more human digital experience that serves both customers and agents, a mission that sits squarely at the intersection of technology and trust.

Before joining State Farm, he spent three years at General Motors as Chief Data and Analytics Officer, leading enterprise-wide data strategy and innovation. Prior...

My guest today is Steve Cundari, co-founder and partner of Summit House, an award-winning venture studio that's quietly become a growth engine for some of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Steve is a builder in the purest sense. He's founded companies, exited companies, scaled platforms, and now leads a collective of specialized agencies that operate as one integrated ecosystem, blending strategy, creativity, and innovation into real business momentum.

From entertainment and tech to sports, hospitality and consumer brands, his fingerprints are all over modern marketing at scale, and that is not hyperbole. Under Steve's leadership...

Evan Greene is back on the CMO Whisperer Show! And if you heard his first appearance, you already know why we brought him back to the scene of the crime. Evan is widely credited as the marketing leader who helped transform the Grammy Awards into one of the world's most coveted brands during his 16+ years as CMO. Before that, he spent a decade on the marketing teams at Disney and Sony, working on some of Hollywood's biggest franchises, including Spider-Man, Men in Black, and Charlie's Angels. He's also a sought-after speaker and guest lecturer at places like Harvard, Wharton...

My guest today is Jackie Corbelli, Founder and CEO of BrightLine and one of the true pioneers of interactive television and engagement-driven advertising. She’s spent her career helping transform TV from a passive screen into a two-way experience for Fortune 100 brands and the world’s largest streaming platforms, long before most of the industry realized where things were headed.

Jackie is also the author of Changemaker, a leadership playbook drawn from decades of scaling innovation, leading through complexity, and building organizations that actually drive impact. From advising global institutions like the UN and the Vatican on t...

My guest today is Cassie Schmid, the Chief Strategy Officer for Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. She's the one shaping how millions of people will experience Philly, especially as the city gears up for the World Cup, the All-Star Game and the country's 250th birthday in 2026. Cassie leads enterprise-wide strategy, performance management, communications, guest experience, marketing and brand. If it impacts how travelers see and feel Philadelphia as it's known, it runs through her.

She brings a dynamic, sharp, data-driven, customer-first mindset, turning market trends, competitive dynamics and traveler insights into strategies that actually...

My guest today is Don Sklenka, SVP of AI Optimization at Claritas and one of the rare operators who's lived at the intersection of creative media and machine intelligence long before AI became a buzzword on every deck. With nearly 25 years in digital marketing, Don built his foundation inside global agency powerhouses like Publicis and Dentsu, leading omni-channel strategies for Fortune 500 brands across retail, CPG, automotive and healthcare. 

Today, Don is scaling patented AI solutions that turn data into decisions and campaigns into performance engines, real-time optimization, predictive analytics, smarter, creative, better outcomes, less noise, and more s...

My guest today is Bonin Bough, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Portrait Media Group. He's one of the most awarded marketing leaders on the planet, a rare blend of operator, builder, and boundary pusher who has reshaped how billion-dollar brands grow. Bonin's career reads like a highlight reel of modern marketing

He became one of the youngest Fortune 500 C-suite executives, led transformations that rewired global organizations and built campaigns that turned beloved brands into cultural heat engines. He's in the advertising hall of achievement. His name shows up on lists like Fortune's 40 under 40, Fast Company's most...

My guest today is Kerry Gordy, a name woven into the fabric of modern music and a force in his own right at the intersection of brand, culture, and intellectual property. Yes, he’s the son of Berry Gordy, but Kerry’s career stands on its own merit. He grew up inside the Motown ecosystem, managed Rick James through his comeback years, played a pivotal executive role at Prince’s Paisley Park Records, and helped architect one of the most important independent moments in music history with The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. 

Beyond music, Kerry has bec...

My guest today is Lucy Markowitz, SVP and General Manager of the US Marketplace at Vistar Media. Lucy oversees it all: Sales, client services, analytics, DSP, and supply partnerships. She leads teams that power the connective tissue between agencies, brands, publishers and DSPs. Her leadership is the reason Vistar's marketplace hums, ensuring every relationship and every impression delivers value.

Before joining Vistar, Lucy led hedge fund and investment bank sales at Data Miner, giving her a front row seat to how information and timing move markets. Lucy holds a BS in International Finance and Marketing from the...

My guest today is Perry Kamel, founder and CEO of DNA Vibe and I'm going to tell you exactly how this conversation started and where it started at CES. I walked in expecting to see a lot of shiny new tech and walked out genuinely awestruck after encountering one of the fastest-growing brands in wearable technology. That's where I first experienced DNA Vibe. That's where I was introduced to the Shine movement. And that's where I met Perry, his leadership team and an incredible community of athletes, trainers and health and wellness leaders who were deeply committed to what...

My guest today is Maria Del Rio, Chief Marketing Officer at DNA Vibe. She is a builder, a scaler, and a leader who's been in the arena for over 25 years, shaping brands, launching growth engines, and helping companies move from interesting idea to real market impact. At DNA Vibe, Maria is steering brand creative and growth as the company expands across wellness, performance, and health tech. 

Before that, she was CMO at Chromatic Technologies, and earlier in her career, she helped drive global brand powerhouses at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark, and Molson Coors. She's seen marketing at e...

My guest this week is Joseph Perello, founder and CEO of Props. Props is a performance-based creator marketing platform built around a simple belief. The best marketing still comes from people, not metrics. Instead of chasing follower accounts, Props uses AI to match brands with creators based on storytelling strength, trust, and audience authenticity. So campaigns are both data-driven and deeply human.

AI does the heavy lifting in the background, brand safety, workflow and precision, while real human creators stay in front and center. Before launching Props, Joe built and ran a digital agency serving brands like...

My guest this week is Jonathan Sackett, a former D1 track athlete turned music industry insider who recorded at Paisley Park and Flight Time before moving into advertising where he built award-winning work for giants - Geico, Coca-Cola, Walmart, McDonald's, IBM, Harley-Davidson, Budweiser, and Mars. He did it at agencies like FCB, the Martin Agency, DDB, and Ogilvy.

He now partners with former NBA star, Jamal Mashburn, as a board member of Mashburn Enterprises and he serves as Chief MarComm and Brand Officer for the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, where he rebranded to NEI and launched the...

My guest this week is Catherine Salazzo, Chief Marketing Officer at Appfire, a leading global provider of enterprise apps that connect the world's top platforms. Catherine oversees Appfire's global marketing and communication strategy, driving brand expansion, go-to-market acceleration, and deeper engagement across developer and partner communities. With more than two decades of experience at companies like Syntax, TechData, and IBM, she's led marketing transformations, built demand across multiple routes to market, and championed cloud and AI adoption worldwide. And finally, a fellow of the Marketing Academy, Catherine is also a passionate advocate for purpose-driven leadership, mentorship, and building cultures...

Welcome to a very special CMO Whisper at CES episode. This is part of an ongoing series of conversations we're recording before, during, and after CES to give CMOs and growth leaders real perspective on what actually matters right now and what's coming next. Today, I'm joined by Chase Miller, Chief Growth Officer at Claritas, where he leads go-to-market strategy and revenue growth, aligning sales, marketing, and product around an integrated growth vision. 

A long-time builder of market-making data business, Chase brings deep experience across analytics, monetization, product strategy, and strategic partners. He is a co-founder of N...

Welcome to a very special CMO Whisperer at CES episode. This is the first in a series of conversations we're recording before, during, and after CES to give CMOs practical perspective on what matters most right now and what's coming next. Today, I'm joined by Cort Irish, Head of Marketing at Claritas. Claritas works with agencies like Publicis, Horizon, and Dentsu. 

Brands including Walgreens, Verizon and GM and partners across media and data like Amazon, Comcast and Adobe. Claritas is graciously supporting this entire CES series, helping make these conversations possible so CMOs can hear directly from p...

My guest today is Lisa Harrup Mieuli. She’s the CMO of Gigamon, the company leading the way in deep observability and network visibility for today’s hybrid cloud world.

Lisa brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling global marketing engines at companies like Tenable, Nimble Storage, and Symantec. She’s known for designing high-impact programs that drive measurable growth, elevate brand awareness, and unite teams around clear business outcomes.

From navigating the evolving intersection of cybersecurity and marketing to leading through transformation, Lisa brings a rare blend of strategic clarity and creati...

My guests today are two leaders who are reshaping how marketing makes decisions in the age of AI. Henry, or his close friends and pretty much everybody calls him, Hen, is the co-founder and CEO of Mutinex, the company behind Theseus AI. It's built on a simple belief that measurement should be continuous, transparent, and tied to real business decisions, not quarterly reporting cycles and guest work decks. 

My other guest is Amin Mrini, who is the Chief Digital Officer for Lions & WARC, where he connects the dots between strategy, media, and the fastest-moving part of modern m...

My guest this week is Matt Sutton, SVP and head of marketing at Columbia Sportswear, a leader who thrives on tough challenges and new terrain. With 15 years across agency, brand and platform side marketing, Matt's led global teams, own P &Ls north of 700 million and driven growth across apparel, jewelry and home goods. 

His superpower? Solving brand problems end-to-end, rethinking everything from CRM and brand identity to channel mix and digital transformation. 

His work has been featured in Adweek, CNBC, TechCrunch, and the New York Times. And he's advised leaders at American Express, Geico, P&G...

On this episode of CMO Whisperer, Steve talks to Karen Kaukol, CMO of Entrust, about how AI is transforming both cybersecurity threats and defenses, how digital identity has evolved beyond physical credentials, and why marketers must balance frictionless experiences with rigorous security. Karen also breaks down the importance of simplifying complex technology for diverse global audiences and building trust through transparency and responsible data use.

They also cover:
● How AI accelerates fraud through deepfakes and voice clones and how it can also be used to detect and prevent it
● The shift from physical to digital iden...

My guest this week is Jason John, a seasoned marketing leader and entrepreneur who has spent his career at the crossroads of culture and digital innovation. Jason has served as CMO at 1-800-Flowers.com and Publishers Clearing House, and he has held senior marketing roles at several iconic retail and lifestyle brands, including J.Crew and Martha Stewart, where he led large-scale digital transformation and customer growth.

He was also part of Gilt Groupe during the height of the flash-sale era, helping drive triple-digit growth and contributing to the development of one of the...

My guest this week is Rachel Sterling,  Chief Marketing Officer at Identity Digital.

Rachel leads global marketing with a focus on driving awareness and adoption of Identity Digital’s portfolio of top-level domains.

Before stepping into her current role, she held senior leadership positions at Instagram, Twitter, and Google, where she built and scaled strategies across product marketing, integrated content, and events.

From shaping how some of the world’s most iconic platforms connect with audiences to now redefining digital identity, Rachel brings a unique perspective on marketing’s evolving role in cult...

My guest this week is Chris Murphy, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Adidas North America. For over 20 years, Chris has been shaping the voice of one of the world’s most iconic sports brands. From building Adidas’s first global newsroom and forging early partnerships with Facebook and Twitter to leading the U.S. loyalty program from 12 to nearly 50 million members, Chris has been at the forefront of digital transformation in sport.

Since stepping into his current role in 2022, he’s relaunched Impossible Is Nothing, produced the award-winning series Running While Black, launched the first NCAA s...

My guest this week is Steve Phillips, CEO of Zappi and chair of the Mayor's Sustainability Council.

He has been at the forefront of transforming the insights industry. Under his leadership, Zappi has pioneered AI-driven tools that help creators worldwide test, validate, and scale ideas—long before AI became mainstream. That doesn’t mean he’s old, by the way. Today, he’s doubling down on new models that unlock deeper value from research data.

He’s also the coauthor of The Consumer Insights Revolution: Transforming Market Research for Competitive Advantage, written with Ryan Barry, former pre...

My guest this week is Bill Harper, a guy who's been building brands longer than most people have been talking about branding. He's the Chief Creative Officer/CEO of BrandBossHQ , his fifth agency, where he helps businesses find the story that actually scales.

Bill has worked with more than 300 brands, helped drive over $2.5 billion — that’s with a B — in new revenue, and built a playbook that small and mid-sized companies can use to punch way above their weight, just like the Fortune 1000 do.

He's got the receipts, the results, and the reps. And today, he's d...

Last time, Alan Bethke, SVP of Marketing at Subaru of America, joined me on the show. We talked about the heart of Subaru’s “Love” campaign and why this brand has such a unique emotional connection with its customers. If you missed that episode, definitely go back and listen — though not yet, after this one. It’s truly one of the most memorable conversations I’ve had.

Today, I’m thrilled to have Alan back — but this time, he’s not alone. Joining him is Matthew Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA. Not only that, we’re recording live at...

My guest this week is Tifenn Dano Kwan, Chief Marketing Officer at Amplitude.

Tifenn’s mission as a data-driven leader is to shape the future of work through superior digital experiences, great teams, and technology that customers love. What a novel idea.

At Amplitude, she drives global marketing strategy and leads a team focused on helping organizations thrive in the digital era.

Her career includes CMO roles at Collibra—hopefully I said that right—Dropbox, SAP Ariba, and SAP Fieldglass. A track record that speaks to her ability to scale brands, build impact, and le...