CMO Moves November Update

The month of November didn’t disappoint!  

We clocked a total of 37 CMO movers, marking a remarkable monthly average. Of these, 22 were women and 15 were men. Most interestingly, 9 of these CMOs are fully, or mostly, remote workers.  

The Retail sector led these transitions, followed by Software Development and Computer and Network Security. Each move represents a significant milestone for someone, but let's spotlight the most seismic changes in the marketing landscape this month: 

NIKE  

In a notable move, sports giant Nike welcomes Nicole Hubbard Graham as its new CMO. Nicole, with over 17 years of prior experience at Nike, left in 2021 to co-found creative agency Adopt.  

She has previously held global leadership roles at Nike, with the basketball and Consumer Brand Direct Marketing divisions. At Adopt, her clients included Lululemon, the North Face, and New Balance-owned Klutch Athletics. 

Nicole returns to lead marketing during a leadership shake-up that includes the creation of a Chief Innovation Officer role and hiring an Amazon Fashion veteran as Chief Technology Officer.  

This all comes at a time when Nike’s sales in its biggest market, North America, fell 1.6% in the most recent quarter, and overall net income fell slightly year over year to $1.45 billion. But the company’s digital revenue rose 2% and Nike Direct revenue grew 6%, with inventory down 10%.   

ARM  

British semiconductor and software design company ARM appoints Ami Badani as their Chief Marketing Officer.  

Ami, previously Vice President of Marketing and Developer Products at NVIDIA, brings a wealth of experience in AI and developer ecosystem cultivation.  

Prior to NVIDIA, Ami was CMO at Cumulus Networks, a provider of enterprise-class networking software acquired by NVIDIA in 2020. Early in her career, Ami was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan. 

Expect major community building from her in the months to follow from the woman who lives by the motto: “THINK, BUILD, EXECUTE”

We at CMO Ladder are loving that! 

MACY’S 

Macy’s, the department-store chain, gears up for leadership changes as Tony Spring prepares to take the helm in February 2024. One of his first executive appointments is the new CMO, Sharon Otterman.  

With over 25 years of experience, Sharon has transformed brands for Fortune 500 companies, most recently launching Caesar’s Sportsbook in record time at Caesar’s Digital.  

Prior to that, she was EVP and CMO at Madison Square Garden Company. She was also CMO for NBCUniversal’s news division and VP of Marketing at ESPN. 

Tony Spring expresses excitement about Sharon's “diverse background in media, entertainment, and digital transformation”, emphasizing her strategic prowess.  

Sharon will play a key role in Macy’s strategic marketing, brand evolution, and customer engagement. 

As Macy’s undergoes significant transitions, moving towards small-format locations and enhancing competitiveness in the e-commerce marketplace, these leadership changes mark a strategic move towards a dynamic future.