The CMO Club

Many marketing leaders assume short CMO tenure is a strategy problem. Jay Livingston sees it differently. In this conversation, the former Shake Shack CMO argues that one of the most overlooked drivers of CMO success is alignment with the CEO—not just on business goals, but on how both leaders see the world, evaluate opportunities, and define what great looks like.Jay also shares lessons from overseeing marketing, product, supply chain, and digital at Shake Shack, why challenger brands win by embedding marketing into product development, and how marketing leaders should approach AI without losing sight of what ultimately drives brand value: human connection, community, and customer experience.Resources from this episode:Join the CMO Club CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jay on LinkedIn

Marketing teams are under pressure to move faster, test more aggressively, and operationalize AI without overwhelming their teams or customers. But according to Molly Patterson, Senior Director, MarTech, Comms and Operations at Rue Gilt Groupe, speed only matters if your infrastructure can support it.In this conversation, Molly shares how consolidating four platforms into a single modernized MarTech stack fundamentally changed her team’s ability to experiment, launch campaigns, and learn faster. From improving testing velocity by 6X to using AI for operational efficiency rather than flashy customer-facing experiences, this episode offers a grounded look at what modern marketing transformation actually requires: better systems, tighter workflows, and organizational trust.For marketing leaders navigating AI adoption, this conversation is a reminder that operational excellence is becoming a competitive advantage. The teams pulling ahead are not necessarily adding more tools. They’re reducing friction, creating faster feedback loops, and giving their people more time to focus on strategic work that drives growth.Resources from this episode:Join the CMO Club CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Molly on LinkedInVisit Rue Gilt Groupe

Adrian Rohr has a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts happening in marketing right now: customers are no longer responding to generic personalization, and brands relying on templated messaging are falling behind fast. As VP of CRM at Fabletics, Adrian is focused on building systems that make every message feel genuinely relevant at scale, while balancing the operational realities, governance concerns, and trust challenges that come with AI adoption.In this conversation, Adrian shares how Fabletics operationalized AI across CRM workflows, why he believes the future belongs to “personal relevance” rather than surface-level personalization, and what marketing leaders often misunderstand about AI implementation. From documentation and context layers to organizational buy-in and experimentation culture, this discussion offers a grounded look at how enterprise teams are navigating AI transformation without losing sight of customer trust, brand integrity, or team wellbeing.Resources from this episode:Join the CMO Club CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Adrian on LinkedInVisit Fabletics

Marketing leaders are operating in an environment where the pressure never really lets up. They’re expected to drive growth, navigate AI transformation, build brands people trust, and lead teams through uncertainty—all while making decisions without a clear playbook.To kick off The CMO Club Podcast, producer Becca Banyard sits down with host Breanna Lawlor for a candid conversation about what modern marketing leadership actually looks like right now: high visibility, constant ambiguity, accelerated change, and pressure from every direction. From the tension between speed and strategic clarity to the growing importance of trust and peer connection, the conversation explores what it takes to lead when the ground keeps shifting beneath you. What emerges is a grounded perspective on leadership during a period of massive change—and a reminder that when the pressure is high and the path forward feels unclear, hearing how other leaders are working through it can change the way you approach your own next move.Resources from this episode:Join the CMO Club CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Breanna on LinkedIn