CMO Journeys

CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin featuring conversations with the marketing leaders behind today’s most recognizable brands, including Princess Cruises, White Castle, and Ruby Tuesday. Hosted by Christian Banach , Founder and Chief Growth Officer of NextBigWin, each episode explores the personal and professional journeys that brought today’s CMOs to the C-suite — from the pivotal career decisions and mentors that shaped them to the lessons learned along the way. The conversation then turns to the realities of leading modern marketing organizations, including the mandates CMOs are driving inside their companies and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners. Through candid discussions, CMO Journeys gives agency leaders, marke

CMO Journeys is a business podcast hosted by Christian Banach, with 40 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Christian Banach hosts CMO Journeys, a business show with 40 episodes published.

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  CMO Journeys

  Ahmed Iqbal, CMO of Cadillac Formula 1 Team: His Journey From Finance to the Fastest Sport on Earth

  Sep 4, 202632 min

  Ahmed Iqbal leads marketing for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, General Motors' new entry into the world's fastest-growing sport. He joined after an unusual path through investment banking, automotive, and the social platforms Twitter and TikTok — and he's now building a brand, a fan base, and a commercial business from the ground up. His perspective is a rare look at how a modern marketing leader thinks and operates. What the Conversation Covers The winding career journey from investment banking to Audi to Twitter, TikTok, and Formula 1 How storytelling and carrying a revenue number shaped his marketing leadership Building an American team's brand on a global stage without becoming polarizing Building a marketing organization from zero to one across sports, tech, and automotive cultures How he evaluates agencies — and what too many of them miss about Cadillac F1 Guest Bio Ahmed Iqbal is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, working within TWG in partnership with General Motors. His background spans automotive, media, technology, partnerships, and revenue growth, including leadership roles at Audi, Twitter, and TikTok. At Cadillac F1, he oversees brand, campaigns, digital, and the team's ambition to grow into a media business. About the Podcast CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.

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  CMO Journeys

  Jessica Doyle of Double Good: The Road to Chief Growth Officer

  Aug 28, 202635 min

  Jessica Doyle is the Chief Growth Officer at Double Good, a Chicago-based fundraising technology company that helps youth sports teams, schools, and other organizations raise money through app-supported popcorn fundraisers. In this episode, she traces a career that runs from customer strategy consulting through Uber, Twitch, Cameo, and the NBA, and shares how she thinks about growth, leadership, and building teams. What the Conversation Covers Her career journey, from knowing in high school that she wanted to do marketing to leading growth across an entire company The lessons she took from Uber's earliest days, when testing and learning through mistakes was the whole job The mentor who reshaped how she leads, and the advice she gives about investing in peers How she structures a growth organization and decides what to build in-house versus outsource Her practical approach to agency partners, freelancers, and fractional support, and when each one makes sense Guest Bio Jessica Doyle is the Chief Growth Officer at Double Good, where she leads marketing, partnerships, sales, customer support, and the Double Good Kids Foundation. Before Double Good, she held growth and marketing roles at Uber, Twitch, Cameo, and the NBA, beginning her career in customer strategy consulting. About the Podcast CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.

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  CMO Journeys

  Thomas Rubino, CMO of Cooper University Health Care: From Politics to the Marketing C-Suite

  Aug 25, 202631 min

  Thomas Rubino is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Cooper University Health Care, one of the major academic health systems in South Jersey. He came to marketing by an unusual route — law and politics — and that background shapes how he thinks about persuasion, messaging, and building a brand in a fiercely competitive market. His perspective is a useful one for anyone who wants to move people, not just measure them. What the Conversation Covers Tom's path from running political campaigns to leading marketing for a major health system How his legal and political training taught him to turn complex issues into clear, persuasive messages What it takes to build a healthcare brand in a crowded, competitive market How he structures a "small but mighty" team and where he brings in outside agencies What makes an agency stand out to him — and the vanity metrics that make him tune one out Guest Bio Thomas Rubino is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Cooper University Health Care, where he has spent a decade overseeing brand marketing, public relations, internal communications, social media, and the website. Before healthcare, he served as an elected official and ran political campaigns, working in public relations and message strategy, and later led communications on the health-insurance side before moving to the provider side at Cooper. About the Podcast CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.

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  CMO Journeys

  Maggie Connors, CMO of Havas Creative Network: Why Craft Still Wins Clients

  Aug 21, 202632 min

  Maggie Connors is the Chief Marketing Officer of Havas Creative Network, one of the major global creative networks inside Havas. In this episode, she shares the journey that took her from art student to global marketing leader, and why she believes craft and creativity are still what win clients in an industry racing toward automation and AI. What the Conversation Covers Maggie's career journey, from a hands-on studio internship to nearly seventeen years at Arnold and roles at JWT and Deutsch How she thinks about creativity, brand, and why she still doubles down on the craft The way she rebuilt marketing into a real growth engine, not an afterthought between pitches How she and her team approach client relationships through listening and empathy Her practical, all-in view of what AI changes for agencies, and what it never will Guest Bio Maggie Connors is the Chief Marketing Officer of Havas Creative Network. She has spent her career at the center of agency growth, positioning, pitches, and partnerships, with earlier leadership roles in new business and growth at Arnold, JWT, and Deutsch. She works closely with Chief Transformation Officer Tracy Barber to build the network's global marketing story. About the Podcast CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.

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  CMO Journeys

  Sari Winick, CMO of Learning Resources: From Big CPG to Playful Learning Leadership

  Aug 14, 202633 min

  Sari Winick, Chief Marketing Officer of Learning Resources and hand2mind, joins CMO Journeys to discuss how classic CPG training can translate into education, toys, retail, ecommerce, and family decision-making. Her perspective is valuable because she brings deep experience across consumer goods, healthcare, nutrition, sales, analytics, and brand leadership. What the Conversation Covers • Sari’s path from medical sales to marketing leadership, including her early CPG training at Quaker Oats, PepsiCo, SC Johnson, and Mead Johnson Nutrition. • How working closely with sales teams shaped her understanding of customers, field insights, and what marketing needs to deliver. • The evolution of her CMO mandate as consumer behavior, digital media, influencers, content creators, and performance marketing continue to change. • How Learning Resources balances lower-funnel performance marketing with upper-funnel brand building, awareness, and experimentation. • Sari’s approach to agency partnerships, including when specialized partners, media expertise, TikTok knowledge, creative support, and category understanding are most valuable. Guest Bio Sari Winick is Chief Marketing Officer of Learning Resources and hand2mind, where she leads marketing, media, analytics, and design across a portfolio of educational toy and learning brands. Her background includes medical sales, consumer goods, consumer health, infant nutrition, pharma, retail, and B2B education marketing. At Learning Resources, she focuses on brand growth, consumer engagement, educational outcomes, and helping families and educators discover hands-on learning products. About the Podcast CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.

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