My guest this week is Laurie Lam, the Chief Brand Officer at E.L.F. Beauty, the powerhouse behind E.L.F. Cosmetics, E.L.F. Skin, and Well People. With nearly two decades of experience shaping global brands, Laurie is a dynamic marketer and strategic innovator who’s redefining what an authentic, accessible beauty company looks like. Before joining E.L.F., Laurie held leadership roles at L’Oréal USA, working across the U.S., France, and Asia Pacific in marketing, e-commerce acquisition, business development, and brand innovation. 

She’s also credited with helping supercharge E.L.F.’s reputation for quality, inclusivity, and viral cultural moments — from TikTok stardom to collaborations with brands like Chipotle, Dunkin’, and even Tinder. 

My guest this week is a force in the media world, Anna Bager, President and CEO of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America — quite a mouthful, so we’ll just say OAAA going forward. She is leading the charge in transforming out-of-home advertising into one of the most innovative, tech-driven, and brand-friendly platforms out there.

Before taking the reins at OAAA, she was the EVP of Industry Initiatives at the IAB, where she shaped the future of digital, mobile, video, and audio, spearheaded the Digital Content NewFronts, and was named one of the 30 most powerful women in mobile advertising by Business Insider as well as one of the top women in media by Folio and Synapse.

Anna brings both brains and bold vision to the table. I am honored to call her my friend, and this conversation is long overdue.

 My guest is Andrea Brimmer, the Chief Marketing and PR Officer at Ally Financial, where she leads the company’s integrated marketing strategy and brand transformation. Since joining Ally in 2006 and relaunching the brand in 2009, she has redefined what a financial services company can be—putting consumers first and driving bold, disruptive growth. 

Under her leadership, Ally has earned spots on Fast Company’s “Brands That Matter,” and Brimmer herself has been recognized as one of Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs five times, earning a place in the 2024 Forbes CMO Hall of Fame. An absolute trailblazer in the industry, she has also been honored by Adweek, Fast Company, and She Runs It for her creativity, leadership, and cultural impact. 

My guest this week is Brian Kotlyar, Head of Marketing & Growth at Hightouch, the leading composable CDP that helps companies activate their data warehouses to drive personalized marketing and business operations. With 20-plus years of experience at Intercom, Sprinklr, and New Relic, Brian knows how to cut through the martech noise and build teams that turn data into real growth. 

My guest this week is Shelley Zalis, CEO and co-founder of The Female Quotient, a true trailblazer known as the “Chief Troublemaker.” She has always made her mark as an entrepreneur, a global advocate for women in the workplace, and a three-time movement maker. She pioneered online research, co-founded the #SeeHer initiative, and built The Female Quotient, home to the world's largest community of women in business. With accolades like the Matrix Award and recognition as one of LinkedIn's Top 20 Most Influential Voices, her impact is undeniable. 

My guest today is Vicky Lozano, the CMO of Crayola — yes, the company that basically defined many of our childhoods. In her role, Vicky leads Crayola’s consumer communications, partnership marketing, digital and omnichannel marketing, interactive app portfolio, education, and location-based entertainment. Before joining Crayola, she managed a $1.2 billion gum and mints portfolio at Cadbury, working on well-known brands like Trident and Dentyne.

She has also held major roles at Miller Brewing, Warner-Lambert, and Pfizer.What I love most about Vicky is that she’s not just a brand leader — she’s a creativity evangelist with a business brain. In our conversation, we’re diving into how to keep a legacy brand fresh, why creativity isn’t just for kids, and what it really takes to build something that truly matters.

My guest this week is Eric Williamson, Chief Marketing Officer at CallMiner.

Eric brings more than 20 years of experience across tech and consumer marketing, spanning both the agency and brand sides. At CallMiner, he leads all global marketing functions, working hand-in-hand with sales and channel teams to fuel growth and pipeline.

Before stepping into his role at CallMiner, Eric served as VP of Brand and Digital Marketing at Acquia, where he led everything from creative to demand generation for the open DXP platform.

His agency background includes senior leadership roles at MullenLowe and The Martin Agency, where he shaped digital strategy for powerhouse brands like Google, GEICO, Walmart, P&G, and Microsoft.

From Pizza Hut to Intel, Acura to Royal Caribbean, he's been in the trenches of marketing innovation his entire career.

My guest this week is Eliot Hamlisch, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, a role he took on in September 2023. He's been leading initiatives across pricing, revenue management, marketing, product development, and the entire customer experience for Amtrak’s national network. Whether you're riding the Northeast Corridor or traveling cross-country, Eliot is focused on reinventing the journey—from schedule planning to digital touchpoints.

He's helping drive Amtrak’s goal to double ridership by 2040 and make rail a preferred choice for American travelers. Before joining Amtrak, Eliot served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at AMC Theatres, where he led marketing, loyalty, and data strategy for the world’s largest movie exhibition company. Earlier, he held senior leadership roles at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, including EVP of Loyalty and Revenue Optimization, where he oversaw global sales and the Wyndham Rewards program.

And yes—he has the credentials to back it up: a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

My guest this week is back for another episode adventure. He was one of my very first guests on The CMO Whisperer—Dave Edelman. 

A longtime thought leader in marketing and customer experience, Dave has amassed over 1 million followers on LinkedIn. Over the past 30 years, he’s led strategy and digital marketing practices at BCG, Digitas, and McKinsey, and also served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Aetna. 

Today, he’s an executive advisor and senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he works closely with enterprise-scale companies and AI startups. 

His new book, Personalized Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, debuted at number four on USA Today’s Bestsellers list. 

And just for kicks—he was recently named an AI Trailblazer by Adweek. 

 My guest this week is Jennifer Renaud, CEO and board director at Coolhouse Botanics, where she leads corporate and portfolio strategy, operational expansion, and investor alignment for the Kradle pet wellness brand. With over 30 years of experience—including global marketing leadership at Oracle Marketing Cloud and Masonite—she excels in building enterprise value through growth strategy, brand revitalization, and cross-sector innovation. 

Throughout her career spanning enterprise technology, medical devices, building products, and CPG, Jen has reshaped organizations to outperform expectations, especially during periods of complexity, disruption, or scale-up. Beyond her executive acumen, Jen is a dynamic thought leader—most recently authoring a Medium series, From Brand Builder to Business Leader, on the CMO-to-CEO journey. 

And one last thing—Jen and I go way back to our days at Oracle, specifically Oracle Marketing Cloud. I’m proud to call her my friend, my mentor, and my confidant.