Esi Eggleston Bracey, Former CMO of Unilever: The Growth Mindset Behind a Global Marketing Career

In this episode of CMO Journeys, Christian Banach speaks with Esi Eggleston Bracey, former Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Unilever, about the mindset, leadership principles, and brand-building lessons behind a global marketing career. Drawing on leadership roles across Procter & Gamble, Coty, and Unilever, Esi shares how curiosity, courage, and a deep understanding of people shaped her approach to growth at every stage.What the Conversation Covers• Esi’s path from an early interest in math and science into a career in brand building, growth, and general management• The career moments that shaped her perspective, from launching new products at Procter & Gamble to leading global businesses across markets and cultures• Why she sees marketing as the work of understanding people, creating desire, and turning that demand into sustainable business growth• The leadership principles that have guided her career, including embracing discomfort, protecting energy, and saying yes to growth opportunities even when they feel scary• How she thinks about the future role of agencies, creativity, AI, and what brands need most to drive sustained growthGuest BioEsi Eggleston Bracey is a longtime growth and marketing executive with leadership experience across Procter & Gamble, Coty, and Unilever, where she most recently served as Chief Growth and Marketing Officer. Over the course of her career, she has helped shape global brands, drive business transformation, and lead growth strategies grounded in consumer insight, creativity, and commercial impact.About the PodcastCMO 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