The CMO Whisperer
The CMO Whisperer, hosted by former Forbes writer Steve Olenski, is a curated executive platform and marketing leadership podcast where CMOs, brand leaders, and senior operators share candid insights on leadership, brand strategy, and growth. Spanning business, sports, and media, it goes beyond marketing to reveal how top leaders make decisions and perform at the highest levels.
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Marketing Makes Everything Happen - Chris Shaw
<p>My guest today is Chris Shaw, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at NTT Research, the Silicon Valley Research Arm of NTT, one of the world's largest technology and business solutions providers. At NTT Research, Chris helps bridge the gap between foundational science and real-world impact, translating work in areas like quantum physics, cryptography, and medical informatics into stories and strategies the marketplace can understand and embrace. Chris is also a serial entrepreneur, helped lead one of the early social media-focused agencies, and is the founder of an AI marketing startup Fymmer.com</p>
It's Marketing, Not Miracle Working - Frank Hamlin
<p>My guest today is Frank 'MF' Hamlin, former EVP and Chief Customer Officer at GameStop, where he was in the C-suite during a pandemic-era short squeeze. Before GameStop, Frank built an impressive career across retail, e-commerce, and music, holding senior leadership roles at Guitar Center and Tailored Brands after nearly a decade in Nashville with Arista Records and Sony Music Publishing. He is also the author of Skinny Dipping at Low Tide, a darkly funny novel inspired by the boardroom politics, activist investors, and sheer insanity of watching market forces reshape a company in real time.</p>
Creators Are Becoming the New Media - Ruth Mortimer
<p>My guest today has spent her career at the intersection of marketing, media, education, and ideas. Ruth Mortimer is the Global President at Advertising Week, where she helps shape the brand's thought leadership agenda and education business. Now, before Advertising Week, Ruth held leadership roles at Econsultancy, the Festival of Marketing, and Centaur Marketing. She's also a former editor of Marketing Week, an award-winning business columnist and has spent years creating conversations with some of the most interesting voices in business and culture. </p><p>My favorite part of Ruth's background may have absolutely nothing to do with marketing. B...
AI Is Changing PR - Sarah Evans
<p>My guest today is Sarah Evans, partner and head of PR at Zen Media. Sarah is a true pioneer in digital communications, having helped create the hashtag JournChat in 2008, founded Sevans PR, and spent the last two decades helping brands see around the corner before the rest of the market catches up. Today she leads Zen Media's PR practice, an AI visibility strategy, and was named one of Propel's top 100 PR tech leaders worldwide in 2025.</p>
Scaling Content Without Losing What Matters - Nicole Rex
<p>My guest today is Nicole Rex, Vice President of Global Marketing Campaigns and Core Content at Dell Technologies. A journalist by training and a marketer by trade, Nicole has spent more than 25 years demonstrating that great storytelling isn't just creative, it's a business advantage. </p><p>During her almost 20 years at Dell, she has led the company's internal creative agency, run experiential marketing, and held roles across social impact, content marketing, brand and creative development. Today, she sits at the intersection of global campaigns, brand and creative, focused on one very big question: How do you scale world-class content w...
Creative Still Needs Humans - Carly Crittenden
<p>My guest today is Carly Crittenden, Chief Revenue Officer at Vidmob, where she leads the company's global revenue organization and go-to-market strategy, helping brands and agencies drive stronger business outcomes through AI-powered creative data. With nearly two decades of experience across advertising technology and SaaS, Carly has held senior leadership roles at Black Crow AI, Oracle, Moat, and Google, building and scaling high-performing sales organizations and leading global go-to-market initiatives. </p><p>She's known for combining strategic vision with a people-first leadership style and is passionate about helping organizations grow, building diverse teams, and advancing the role of AI i...
Stop Building Better Chatbots - Aniket Deosthali
<p>My guest today is Aniket Deosthali, CEO and co-founder of Envive AI. Before launching Envive, Aniket led Conversational Commerce at Walmart, where he helped build AI-powered shopping experiences at a massive scale and worked at the intersection of AI, commerce, and customer experience. </p><p>Today, he's focused on helping brands move beyond the AI hype and use intelligent agents to drive real business outcomes. If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you know I am less interested in asking whether AI is coming. That ship sailed a long time ago. What I am interested i...
The AI Growth Problem - Michael Stich
<p>My guest today is Michael Stich, partner at CourtAvenue. Michael has spent more than 25 years helping some of the world's biggest brands navigate innovation, digital transformation, customer experience, AI, commerce, and just about every major shift marketing has faced over the last two decades. Today at CourtAvenue, he works with organizations including Kia, Epson, General Mills, Dell, and the US Air Force to solve complex business and marketing challenges. </p><p>Before that, he held leadership roles at WPP, VML, Rockfish, Bridge Worldwide, Texas Instruments, McKinsey, and Dell, giving him a front-row seat to the evolution of modern marketing. A...
Stop Chasing Celebrity Influencers - Dave Neville
<p>My guest today is Dave Neville, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Johnnie-O, where he oversees brand strategy, digital marketing, creative, CRM, and partnerships for one of the fastest-growing premium lifestyle apparel brands in the market. Dave's career has taken him from serving as a captain in the US Air Force to advising global companies as a strategy consultant at Oliver Wyman and into leadership roles with iconic brands like Callaway Golf and Titleist. </p><p>Along the way, he's built a reputation for combining sharp strategic thinking with creative brand building and a relentless focus on growth. A g...
Why Smart Marketers Overcomplicate - Philip Auerbach
<p>My guest today is Philip Auerbach, Chief Marketing Officer at Custom Ink. Phil has built an impressive career leading marketing and commercial strategy for some incredibly well-known brands. Before joining Custom Ink, he led executive leadership roles at Bumble, Dunkin', Linblad Expeditions, and Caesars Entertainment, helping each of them navigate growth, digital transformation, and changing customer expectations. </p><p>One of the many things I find most interesting about Phil's career is its range. He's marketed everything from dating apps and donuts to travel experiences, gaming, and now custom apparel. There are not many marketing leaders who can say t...
