We all know it takes any new executive some time for their big-picture strategy and decisions to be realized. With that in mind, we’ve got our eyes on these five marketing executives who have particularly meaningful opportunities ahead for business and cultural impact.
Deborah Yeh, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Sephora
In October, Sephora promoted Deborah Yeh to the role of Global CMO. She has been with the company since 2012, joining as CMO in the Americas before serving as global chief purpose officer, a newly created role, until this most recent appointment. She was named one of Glossy’s top marketers of 2022 and has been highlighted for her work in diversifying the beauty industry, inside and out.
Under Yeh’s guidance, Sephora published a study on racial bias in retail in 2021, and a “Black is Beauty” campaign later that year. She has stated that these efforts and others are very much in the scope of a CMO’s responsibilities over brand performance, customer growth, and team performance.
“[Inclusion] is not just a theoretical idea,” Yeh said. “Inclusion is a real idea that impacts the business…Beauty is a category of visibility, representation and being seen. So Sephora has a role to play, to make sure we’re bringing to life brands that are relevant to consumers.”
Zena Srivatsa Arnold, Chief Marketing Officer, Sephora US
In May, the company hired Zena Srivatsa Arnold, a former senior marketing leader at Pepsi, Google, Kellogg, and Kimberly-Clark, to be Sephora’s US CMO.
Arnold has developed a reputation for digital disruption and transformation. Her work has included supporting Sephora’s sustainability efforts and overseeing influencer marketing. Arnold has previously shared highlights of inclusion strategies from her time at Kimberly-Clark.
She mentioned the brand’s responsibility to monitor its advertising spend and “ensuring that we’re not being in negative space,” while also implementing training around diverse customer segments and joining Mindshare with their Kotex brand “to form an inclusive Black Community Private Marketplace (PMP) to help promote a lot of really great content for underrepresented consumers. We also did one for LGBTQ consumers.”
Another brand under her purview at that time, Cottonelle, launched a partnership with BLKHLTH around colorectal cancer and its higher incidence among Black American populations, “a subject that a lot of people don’t want to talk about but it’s really important that they do,” according to Arnold.
Richard Mcleod, Chief Marketing Officer, Champion
At the beginning of this month, Richard Mcleod was named the new chief marketing officer at the iconic apparel brand Champion. He was hired to improve “connectivity to global consumers by building a community-led, digital-first brand focused on culture,” according to a statement from Champion.
Mcleod made the move from Canada Goose, where he was the brand SVP. He’s credited with “guiding the outerwear maker’s performance and evolution” and before working there was a fast-riser at Foot Locker. In both of those roles, he has been praised for connecting the brands to youth culture.
In terms of goals, Mcleod said he is inspired by the company’s existing “Champion What Moves You” campaign and plans to boost the apparel brand’s relationship with an existing athletic partner, the Premier Lacrosse League.
Mcleod will be responsible for Champion’s omnichannel positioning and global brand strategy, with great opportunities ahead as the brand explores its future. Hanesbrands has stated a plan to grow Champion into a $3 billion business.
Zaid Al-Asady, Executive Vice President, Brand Creative and Marketing, Peacock
Zaid Al-Asady was the VP of creative at Noom, the dieting app, for three years. Before that, he was the SVP of creative at Illumination Entertainment. He joins Peacock to go back to his entertainment roots, where he will be tasked with leading the vision for the new streaming brand owned by the century-old broadcast conglomerate NBC, while also overseeing its social team and sports brand, according to Deadline.
While at Illumination Entertainment, Al-Asady “oversaw global theatrical marketing, brand partnerships and product collaborations” for franchises like the Minions, the Grinch, Sing, and the Secret Life of Pets…delving into digital, social, and experiential activations.” A self-described “Londoner living in Los Angeles by way of Sydney,” Al-Asady worked at Deutsch LA before joining Illumination.
Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer, HP
Lucio is joining HP as its CMO after previously holding the CMO role for Meta and prior to that Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for HP.
He first joined Hewlett-Packard in 2015, coming from Visa and Pepsi before that. He left in 2018 to join Meta, where he was responsible for global consumer marketing across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp and the development of the new corporate brand, Meta. While there, he was credited with restructuring the company’s agency structure, rolling out the “Meta” rebrand, and the company’s first Super Bowl ad.
Lucio left Meta in 2020 to focus on “diversity, inclusion, and equity” in advertising, he said in a statement when leaving the social media giant. He launched a virtual marketing leadership program, where over 75% of the 300+ participants were women and 65% were people of color.. He also started a consulting firm called 5S Diversity, focused on helping companies transform their marketing capabilities while accelerating the leadership journey of diverse talent.
Meanwhile, at HP, the company has split its enterprise (now called HPE) and consumer businesses (HP, Inc.), a transition that was occurring as Lucio first arrived.
