Michelle Peluso is the Chief Marketing Officer at IBM, a 107 year-old company that employs over 380,000 people. Michelle reports to Ginni Rometty, the Chairman and CEO, and oversees the company's global marketing and brand initiatives, strategy and execution. She also runs IBM's global women's network. All this and a long-term commitment to leaving the office at 5pm.
Michelle has had an illustrious career with entrepreneurial beginnings and a history of working at the very top of large corporations. From 2009 to 2013 Michelle was the Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer of Citigroup, where she was responsible for the digital experience of Citi's 100 million consumers globally, From 2003 to 2009, Michelle was the CEO of Travelocity, that bought a company she had started in 1999. She currently serves on several boards including that of Nike.
Michelle is also a mother, a wife and an active member of the community.
We had a far-ranging conversation, examining how she manages to leave work at 5pm on most days as well as technology-driven marketing, ethics and inclusion. We talked about the abundance of data and communication channels, and how these two factors affect modern marketing. We explored the role of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in democratizing marketing and we highlighted the critical role that male sponsors and allies play in helping women rise.
Michelle recommended two books. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin and Personal History by Katherine Graham.
You can find Michelle on Twitter and on LinkedIn.
Michelle kindly dialed in from New York and so the audio is not as it would be in a live recording.
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