The CMO Podcast

What does it take to market some of the world's most iconic brands?

Recorded live during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Jim sits down with Mark Kirkham, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Beverages U.S., to explore how one of the world's largest marketers continues to reinvent brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Starbucks Ready-to-Drink, Lipton, and poppi in an era defined by AI, changing consumer behavior, and relentless innovation.

Mark oversees brand and marketing strategy across PepsiCo's $28 billion U.S. beverage portfolio. During more than 15 years with the company, he's held marketing leadership roles across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, helping shape global campaigns, expand iconic brands, and lead innovation around the world. Before PepsiCo, he built his foundation in research and analytics at Forrester and Nielsen before moving into brand management at Procter & Gamble.

The conversation also becomes a masterclass in leadership. From developing future CMOs to writing a weekly letter to his marketing team, Mark shares why trust, transparency, curiosity, and continuous learning are the foundations of building both great brands and great leaders.

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Meet The CMO Podcast On the Road

The CMO Podcast will be on the road throughout Q4 2026, capturing conversations with the leaders shaping the future of marketing, leadership, and business. If you'll be attending one of these events, we'd love to connect. Let us know!

• Advertising Week New York | October 5–7
• BLINK Cincinnati | October 8
• ANA Masters of Marketing | October 20–22

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Interested in partnering with The CMO Podcast?!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we're partnering with brands to create executive content platforms that extend far beyond a single event. From pop-up podcast studios and live recordings to executive roundtables, keynote conversations, and bespoke thought leadership programs, we work with partners to build meaningful experiences that connect with senior marketing leaders.

Whether you'd like to partner with us at one of the industry's biggest marketing events or create a custom experience designed specifically for your brand, we'd love to explore what's possible. Reach out to learn how we can build something together.

Email us at [email protected]

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Produced by vYve

The CMO Podcast is proudly produced by vYve Production, a full-service production and content studio specializing in podcasts, executive storytelling, branded content, and live experiences. 

vYve is a community of ambitious leaders dedicated to unlocking what's next in business and in life. Through executive coaching, transformative experiences, strategic content, and communities like The CMO Podcast, vYve helps entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and teams grow their businesses, strengthen their leadership, and build meaningful connections that last.

Learn more about vYve and The CMO Podcast community at www.vyve.co.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As people take greater ownership of their health, the role of brands is changing.

Recorded live at the Havas Café during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, this conversation explores how marketing can help people live healthier, longer, and more fulfilling lives.

Jim is joined by:

• Yvonne Bryant, Hemoglobinopathies Commercialization Head at Novo Nordisk, whose career has spanned clinical research, drug development, commercialization, and consumer marketing. Today, she leads commercialization efforts for rare blood disorders, helping translate breakthrough scientific innovation into meaningful patient impact.
• Lauren Gellman, Chief Marketing Officer for Health and Home at Google. Lauren oversees marketing across Google's health ecosystem, including Fitbit, Nest, and Google Health, where she's helping shape the future of AI-powered health experiences and personalized wellness.
• Samantha Avivi, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Consumer Health at Bayer. A longtime marketing leader whose career includes roles at Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Walmart, and more, Samantha now leads global marketing and innovation across Bayer's portfolio of trusted consumer health brands.

Drawing on Havas' Science of Desire research, the conversation explores how healthcare marketers are building trust in the age of AI, making complex science more accessible, and helping people navigate an increasingly personalized health journey. Ultimately, it arrives at a simple but powerful idea: the future of healthcare marketing isn't simply about helping people live longer. It's about helping people live better.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Havas and Infillion.

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Meet The CMO Podcast On the Road

The CMO Podcast will be on the road throughout Q4 2026, capturing conversations with the leaders shaping the future of marketing, leadership, and business. If you'll be attending one of these events, we'd love to connect. Let us know!

• Advertising Week New York | October 5–7
• BLINK Cincinnati | October 8
• ANA Masters of Marketing | October 19–22

—

Interested in partnering with The CMO Podcast?!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we're partnering with brands to create executive content platforms that extend far beyond a single event. From pop-up podcast studios and live recordings to executive roundtables, keynote conversations, and bespoke thought leadership programs, we work with partners to build meaningful experiences that connect with senior marketing leaders.

Whether you'd like to partner with us at one of the industry's biggest marketing events or create a custom experience designed specifically for your brand, we'd love to explore what's possible. Reach out to learn how we can build something together.

Email us at [email protected]

—

Produced by vYve

The CMO Podcast is proudly produced by vYve Production, a full-service production and content studio specializing in podcasts, executive storytelling, branded content, and live experiences. 

vYve is a community of ambitious leaders dedicated to unlocking what's next in business and in life. Through executive coaching, transformative experiences, strategic content, and communities like The CMO Podcast, vYve helps entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and teams grow their businesses, strengthen their leadership, and build meaningful connections that last.

Learn more about vYve and The CMO Podcast community at www.vyve.co.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What makes someone fall in love with a brand?

Recorded during the Cannes Lions Festival, Jim brings together three leaders who are redefining what it means to build brands people genuinely want to be part of.

Joining the conversation are…

• Kelly Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer of Ulta Beauty
• Mitchell Halliday, founder of Made by Mitchell;
• Durana Elmi, Founder, Chief Creative Officer, and Chief Experiential Officer of Cymbiotika.

Together, they explore how purpose creates loyalty, why community is every brand's greatest asset, and what it takes to scale without losing your identity. Mitchell reflects on building a brand that's "made for everyone," Durana shares why she believes "true luxury is your health," and Kelly explains how Ulta has become a trusted home for founder-led brands and the communities behind them.

Whether you're building a global retailer or launching your first company, this conversation is packed with lessons on authenticity, partnership, leadership, and creating brands that people don't just buy, but proudly choose to belong to.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Infillion.

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Meet The CMO Podcast On the Road

The CMO Podcast will be on the road throughout Q4 2026, capturing conversations with the leaders shaping the future of marketing, leadership, and business. If you'll be attending one of these events, we'd love to connect. Let us know!

• Advertising Week New York | October 5–7
• BLINK Cincinnati | October 8-9
• ANA Masters of Marketing | October 19–22

—

Interested in partnering with The CMO Podcast?!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we're partnering with brands to create executive content platforms that extend far beyond a single event. From pop-up podcast studios and live recordings to executive roundtables, keynote conversations, and bespoke thought leadership programs, we work with partners to build meaningful experiences that connect with senior marketing leaders.

Whether you'd like to partner with us at one of the industry's biggest marketing events or create a custom experience designed specifically for your brand, we'd love to explore what's possible. Reach out to learn how we can build something together.

Email us at [email protected]

—

Produced by vYve

The CMO Podcast is proudly produced by vYve Production, a full-service production and content studio specializing in podcasts, executive storytelling, branded content, and live experiences. 

vYve is a community of ambitious leaders dedicated to unlocking what's next in business and in life. Through executive coaching, transformative experiences, strategic content, and communities like The CMO Podcast, vYve helps entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and teams grow their businesses, strengthen their leadership, and build meaningful connections that last.

Learn more about vYve and The CMO Podcast community at www.vyve.co.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Creativity is all about creating desire." So what makes people truly desire a brand?

This week, we're back at the Havas Café for the second of our three-part series exploring Creating Desire. This conversation focuses on one of the most powerful drivers of all: creativity.

Jim is joined by:

• Ryan Dullea, Chief Growth Officer at Reckitt
• Jennie Weber, Former Chief Marketing Officer at Best Buy
• Matthew Bull, Chief Creative Advisor at AB InBev

Together, they discuss how leaders create cultures where creativity can thrive, why teams need permission to take risks, how healthy debate leads to stronger ideas, and why AI should accelerate human creativity rather than replace it. Along the way, they share lessons from building some of the world's most iconic brands and explain why the best marketing doesn't just capture attention. It creates genuine desire.

Recorded live during the Cannes Lions Festival, this conversation is packed with practical leadership lessons for anyone looking to build stronger brands, stronger teams, and more creative organizations.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Havas and Infillion.

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Meet The CMO Podcast On the Road

The CMO Podcast will be on the road throughout Q4 2026, capturing conversations with the leaders shaping the future of marketing, leadership, and business. If you'll be attending one of these events, we'd love to connect. Let us know!

• BLINK Cincinnati | October 8-9
• ANA Masters of Marketing | October 19–22

—

Interested in partnering with The CMO Podcast?!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we're partnering with brands to create executive content platforms that extend far beyond a single event. From pop-up podcast studios and live recordings to executive roundtables, keynote conversations, and bespoke thought leadership programs, we work with partners to build meaningful experiences that connect with senior marketing leaders.

Whether you'd like to partner with us at one of the industry's biggest marketing events or create a custom experience designed specifically for your brand, we'd love to explore what's possible. Reach out to learn how we can build something together.

Email us at [email protected]

—

Produced by vYve

The CMO Podcast is proudly produced by vYve Production, a full-service production and content studio specializing in podcasts, executive storytelling, branded content, and live experiences. 

vYve is a community of ambitious leaders dedicated to unlocking what's next in business and in life. Through executive coaching, transformative experiences, strategic content, and communities like The CMO Podcast, vYve helps entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and teams grow their businesses, strengthen their leadership, and build meaningful connections that last.

Learn more about vYve and The CMO Podcast community at www.vyve.co.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off one of the biggest sporting events in the world, Sean Summers, our guest this week, joins Jim after experiencing the FIFA World Cup from two unique perspectives: as a lifelong football fan from Argentina and as the Chief Marketing Officer of Mercado Libre, an official tournament partner. 

Mercado Libre has grown from an online marketplace into Latin America's leading ecommerce and fintech ecosystem. Operating across 18 countries with nearly $29 billion in annual revenue and a market value exceeding $90 billion, the company has become one of the region's most valuable and influential businesses.

Sean shares the leadership principles that have guided both his career and the company's extraordinary growth. From helping build marketing capabilities that last beyond any individual leader to embracing curiosity, calculated risk-taking, and constant reinvention, he explains why today's CMO must think less like the star of the show and more like the executive producer behind it.

Whether you're building brands, leading teams, or navigating your own career, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on growth, leadership, and staying curious.

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This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Mercado Libre and Infillion.

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Meet The CMO Podcast On the Road

The CMO Podcast will be on the road throughout Q4 2026, capturing conversations with the leaders shaping the future of marketing, leadership, and business. If you'll be attending one of these events, we'd love to connect. Let us know!

• Advertising Week New York | October 5–7
• BLINK Cincinnati | October 8-9
• ANA Masters of Marketing | October 19–22

—

Interested in partnering with The CMO Podcast?!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we're partnering with brands to create executive content platforms that extend far beyond a single event. From pop-up podcast studios and live recordings to executive roundtables, keynote conversations, and bespoke thought leadership programs, we work with partners to build meaningful experiences that connect with senior marketing leaders.

Whether you'd like to partner with us at one of the industry's biggest marketing events or create a custom experience designed specifically for your brand, we'd love to explore what's possible. Reach out to learn how we can build something together.

Email us at [email protected]

—

Produced by vYve

The CMO Podcast is proudly produced by vYve Production, a full-service production and content studio specializing in podcasts, executive storytelling, branded content, and live experiences. 

vYve is a community of ambitious leaders dedicated to unlocking what's next in business and in life. Through executive coaching, transformative experiences, strategic content, and communities like The CMO Podcast, vYve helps entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and teams grow their businesses, strengthen their leadership, and build meaningful connections that last.

Learn more about vYve and The CMO Podcast community at www.vyve.co.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles racing around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It may sound like a publicity stunt, but for Todd Kaplan, it was something much bigger: a reminder that great marketing should surprise people, spark conversation, and create joy.

This week, Jim welcomes Todd Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer of Kraft Heinz North America. Since joining Kraft Heinz in 2024 after nearly two decades at PepsiCo, Todd has been leading one of the industry's most ambitious brand transformations, helping modernize more than 70 iconic brands while building a culture rooted in creativity, collaboration, and consumer insight.

Recorded live at Cannes Lions in the Infillion Café, Todd shares why marketing should be more like jazz than classical music, how his philosophy of "collaborativity" helps teams move at the speed of culture, and why even the biggest organizations need to leave room for improvisation. From the Oscar Mayer Wienie 500 to Heinz's award-winning creative work, Todd explains how great ideas are born, why creativity still drives growth, and why the strongest brands never lose sight of the fundamentals.

Whether you're leading a global organization or building your own brand, this conversation is full of practical lessons on creativity, leadership, and finding new energy in iconic brands.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Infillion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some marketing ideas capture attention for a moment. The very best ones become part of culture. And you could say...that's priceless.

Recorded live at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Jim sits down with Jill Kramer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard, to discuss what it's like to lead one of the world's most iconic brands. Mastercard, known globally for its “Priceless” platform and its role at the center of everyday commerce, has spent decades building trust, emotional connection, and cultural relevance across markets. 

After nearly a decade as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Accenture, where she led the company's "Let There Be Change" brand transformation, and earlier leadership roles at BBDO and DDB, Jill stepped into one of marketing's most influential positions with the responsibility of guiding Mastercard's next chapter.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jill shares her approach to earning trust as a new leader, building creative cultures where ideas can thrive, and why her philosophy of "early, ugly, often" has helped teams create better work. She also discusses how Mastercard is evolving its brand beyond payments, leaning into experiences, partnerships, and technology, and how the company is approaching AI, creator collaborations, and innovation while staying true to the timeless principles that have made it one of the most respected brands in the world.

Whether you're leading a global organization or a small team, Jill offers thoughtful lessons on curiosity, creativity, change, and why the best leaders never stop learning.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Infillion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you reinvent one of the world's most iconic brands without losing what made it iconic in the first place?

Recorded live on the Tubi Stage at Cannes Lions, Jim sits down with Fabiola Torres, Chief Marketing Officer of Gap, to unpack one of the most compelling brand turnarounds in retail. Drawing on leadership experience at Nike, Apple, PepsiCo, and now Gap, Fabiola shares how the team rebuilt the brand by focusing on marketing fundamentals, embracing creativity, investing in culture, and reconnecting with consumers across generations.

They discuss why every brand should be treated like a living persona, how partnerships with talent are built on trust rather than transactions, and why the best marketing doesn't chase relevance—it earns it.

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In partnership with Tubi. 

Brought to you by Infillion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Great brands do more than meet a need. They transform that need into desire. But in an increasingly crowded and fragmented media landscape, how can brands earn attention, turn that attention into affection, and ultimately inspire people to act?

Recorded live at the Havas Café during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, this special roundtable is the first in a three-part series exploring the many dimensions of desire. 

Jim is joined by three marketing leaders approaching that challenge from very different industries: 

• Manu Orssaud, Chief Marketing Officer at Duolingo;
• Benoit Vatere, Chief Media and Digital Commerce Officer at Liquid Death; 
• and Oliver Walker-Jones, who leads Marketing, Communications and Brand at Joby Aviation.

Together, they explore how modern brands use media to create lasting desire. Manu shares how Duolingo combines planned cultural moments with the flexibility to build stories alongside its community. The conversation explores why fun is an underrated business advantage, how brands can move quickly without chasing every cultural moment, and where AI can strengthen a company without replacing the human creativity behind great marketing. 

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Havas and Infillion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing at a pace unlike anything we've seen since the birth of digital. But as today's guests remind us, the fundamentals of great marketing haven't changed.

Recorded live at the Infillion Café during Cannes Lions 2026, Jim sits down with Marie Gulin-Merle, Global Vice President of Ads & Commerce Marketing at Google, and Anda Gansca, Co-Founder and CEO of Knotch.

Marie has spent her career leading marketing for some of the world's most iconic brands, including L'Oréal, Calvin Klein, and PVH, before joining Google to help shape the future of advertising, commerce, and AI-powered marketing on a global scale.

Anda founded Knotch more than a decade ago with a vision of making digital experiences more personalized and measurable. Today, Knotch helps many of the world's leading brands optimize content performance and customer experience, and Anda has become one of the industry's leading voices on the intersection of marketing, data, and AI.

Just days before this conversation, Google and Knotch announced the launch of ACE (Agentic Content Engine), a new AI-powered experience platform built with Google Cloud, Vertex AI, and Gemini. Designed for the emerging "AI-native consumer," ACE enables brands to create dynamic, personalized digital experiences that adapt in real time to each customer's needs.

Together, Jim, Marie, and Anda explore what this next era of marketing means for brands, why relevance has become the industry's most valuable currency, how AI can amplify rather than replace creativity, and why the future belongs to marketers who can unite technology, data, and human insight to create better customer experiences.

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This week’s episode is brought to you by Knotch and Infillion.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.