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- CMO Moves Mid-October Update
CMO Moves Mid-October Update
Ft. Vimeo, Unilever, Pandora, Warner Music
Michael Wright
October 18, 2024
In the first half of October, 21 global CMOs were appointed, including 13 women and 8 men. Among these appointments, 5 were internal promotions, while 16 were external hires. 8 of the newly appointed CMOs are stepping into the role for the first time.
In the U.S., New York led with 3 CMO appointments, followed by California and Michigan with 2 each, while the remaining appointments were distributed across 9 other states. Internationally, Europe saw significant activity, with new global CMOs named in Denmark, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
In terms of industries, Software Development continued to dominate, accounting for 7 new CMO appointments. Restaurants and Entertainment each saw 2 hires. Overall, the new CMOs represented 13 different industries.
Software Development: 7
Restaurants: 2
Entertainment Providers: 2
Automation Machinery Manufacturing:1
Telecommunications: 1
Beverage Manufacturing: 1
Retail: 1
Banking: 1
Retail Luxury Goods and Jewelry: 1
Financial Services: 1
Wellness and Fitness Services: 1
Hospitals and Health Care: 1
IT Services and IT Consulting: 1
Vimeo
YouTube is great for reach and exposure, but for a refined, controlled, and distraction-free experience, we at the Ladder prefer Vimeo.
Vimeo is shifting gears once again, this time focusing on B2B and GenAI.
Earlier this month, the company named Charlie Ungashick its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Ungashick, who has been serving as interim CMO since January 2024, brings over 20 years of marketing experience from tech companies like Workhuman and Applause, most recently serving as CMO at email optimization firm Validity. His appointment comes as Vimeo continues to move away from the crowded consumer video space to focus on enterprise solutions.
This leadership change follows Vimeo’s new CEO, Philip Moyer, who took the reins in April 2024. Moyer, a former Google Cloud executive, is pushing Vimeo into AI-driven innovation. Under his leadership, the company is investing heavily in AI tools like text-to-video creation, automated translation with voice cloning, and even features that can learn and replicate a creator’s storytelling style—imagine generating a talking-head or documentary-style video automatically [ed - see our podcast above which is 100% AI generated and free for an audio example of how this might work!]
In their latest quarter, Vimeo’s sales saw a 2% bump year-over-year, with a 55% surge in its enterprise business leading the way. Ungashick’s marketing strategy will align with this new direction, focusing more on revenue-driven results than traditional metrics like click-through rates. He’s also looking to expand Vimeo’s presence in international markets such as Brazil and Japan while reassessing how the company spends its ad budget.
“Video plays an increasingly crucial role in today’s marketing communications and strategy, and I’m energized by the prospect of what Vimeo’s technology can bring to the industry and across other verticals,”
Former CMO Lynn Girotto left in May to join Qualtrics as CMO, and recent new hires also include Robert Petrocelli, Chief Product & Technology Officer, who came over from online learning platform Pluralsight last month.
At the time of writing, Vimeo has 18 marketing roles open, featuring positions in Social, Enterprise Growth, Engineering, and Product Marketing.
This month, we saw another 2 CMOs stepping into a CEO role.
Pandora & Unilever Prestige
Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, former CMO at Pandora, is moving back to Unilever, where she has been appointed CEO of Unilever Prestige, the company’s luxury beauty division. Before her time at Pandora, Gasco-Buisson had an extensive career at Unilever and Procter & Gamble, working on global brands like Axe, Lynx, and Hugo Boss fragrances.
Her new role comes at a pivotal time for Unilever Prestige, which includes premium brands such as Tatcha, Dermalogica, and Hourglass. The division, created in 2014, has been growing steadily, although it is reportedly considering the sale of two skincare lines, Ren Clean Skincare and Kate Somerville.
Gasco-Buisson’s appointment follows the departure of the division’s founding CEO, Vasiliki Petrou, earlier this year amidst a bewildering round of leadership reshuffling we reported on in July.
Alongside Gasco-Buisson, Unilever also welcomed Isabel Massey as Global Head of Integrated Brand Experiences, who joins from Diageo as part of its leadership revamp.
Meanwhile at Pandora, Berta de Pablos-Barbier has been named the new CMO. De Pablos-Barbier brings over 30 years of experience with luxury and consumer goods brands, having most recently served as President and CEO of LVMH's storied champagne brands like Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon. She also has experience as Chief Growth Officer at Mars Wrigley and was CMO at Lacoste, in addition to her work in the jewelry industry at Boucheron.
Pandora, known for its iconic charms and bracelets, has been undergoing a transformation under its "Phoenix" growth strategy since 2021. This plan aims to expand the brand's reach by improving brand perception, leveraging consumer insights in product design, personalizing customer experiences, and investing in core markets. Lab-grown diamonds have also become a focus as part of this strategy, contributing to Pandora’s impressive $4 billion in revenues in 2023, an 8% increase year-over-year.
“Pandora stands out as an iconic global brand on an impressive growth journey with sustainability at the forefront. The brand is undergoing an incredible transformation, and I can’t wait to join the talented team and skilled craftsmen to help elevate Pandora even further.”
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group (WMG) is making some more leadership changes as part of CEO Robert Kyncl’s ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at driving growth and innovation. Two key executives, Eric Wong and Jessica Keeley-Carter, are taking on new roles as the company sharpens its focus on global artist development and marketing.
Eric Wong, who has served as CMO since 2020, will now step into the newly created position of Global Head of A&R (Artists and Repertoire) for recorded music while also assuming the role of President of East West Records. In this expanded role, Wong will work closely with artists to identify local talents with global potential, leveraging his extensive experience and deep connections in the music industry. His transition follows his success in leading marketing efforts at WMG and his previous role as COO at Island Records, home to Shawn Mendez, Demi Lovato, and U2.
In a parallel move, London-based Jessica Keeley-Carter was promoted to CMO for recorded music. Keeley-Carter, who joined WMG in 2019 and has played a key role in global marketing campaigns for artists like Dua Lipa and Bruno Mars, will now lead the company's global marketing strategy. With her extensive background in international markets, Keeley-Carter will focus on expanding WMG’s global reach.
These appointments are part of a broader restructuring plan announced in August, which includes creating a "flatter" organizational structure. This initiative has seen the exit of Max Lousada, former CEO of Recorded Music, and the consolidation of several senior roles to streamline operations. Additionally, Elliot Grainge has been named CEO of Atlantic Music Group, bringing his label 10k Projects under the Atlantic umbrella.
Both Wong and Keeley-Carter will report directly to Kyncl as WMG continues its transformation, with a strong focus on artist development, global marketing, and operational efficiency.
“Eric’s newly-created role leans into his long-standing relationships within the artistic community and his deep understanding of how music travels around the world. Jess is an expert marketer and an inventive leader, who will help us orchestrate best-in-class ways of cutting through the noise in an increasingly complex and cluttered world.”
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